A 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1HG8,  by 

COL.  HANKINS, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of  New  v0rk. 


DAKOTA  LAND; 


OR, 


THE    BEAUTY    OF    ST.    PAUL. 


AN  ORIGINAL,  ILLUSTRATED, 

HISTORIC  AND  ROMANTIC  WORK 


ON 


MINNESOTA, 


THE    GKREAT   NORTH-WEST. 


BY    COL. 

EDITOR  OF  "  THE  NEW  YORK  HOME  GAZETTE," 

And  Author  of  "Agnes  Wilto    "  "Maniac    Father,"  "The  Apostate  Quaker,' 

"The  Idiot  of  the  Mill,"    "The  Orphan's  Dream,"    "The  Banker's  Wife," 

"  The  Mother's  Prayer,"  "  The  Beautiful  Nun,"  "  Hearts  That  Arc  Cold," 

Besides  innumerable  Serial  Productions  of  Truth  and  Fiction. 


SECOND     EDITION. 


1869: 

HANKINS    &    SON,   PUBLISHERS, 
Office  of  tlie  "  3STew  York  Home  Gazette,' 
NEW   YORK    CITY. 


TO  THE 


CITIZENS    OF    ST.    PAUL,    GREETING. 


AN    ACCEPTANCE    OF    THIS    VOLUME, 


RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 


MARK     OF     SINCERE     ESTEEM 


FOR  YOU  PERSONALLY, 


AND  ALSO  AS  A 


TOKEN     OF     ENTHUSIASTIC     ADMIRATION 


FOR   YOUR 


BRIGHT    NEW    CITY, 


WILL    BE    VERY    GRATIFYING    TO 


THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 

MY  first  visit  to  Minnesota  was  not  until  the  latter  part  of 

September, ;  and  then  it  so  happened  that  I  could  tarry 

but  twenty-four  hours  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Paul.  With  the 
popular  disbelief  of  all  strangers  to  that  region,  I  anticipated 
the  real  existence  of  no  very  great  attractions  there,  and  ac- 
cordingly had  made  arrangements  for  returning  to  New  York 
the  first  week  in  October.  However,  I  saw  and  felt  enough 
during  the  speedy  lapse  of  that  one  day,  to  convince  me  of  my 
error.  And  although  I  could  not  then  prolong  my  stay,  there 
was  much  comfort  in  hopefully  promising  myself  the  pleasure 
of  a  more  extended  visit  some  other  time.  But  the  next  day 
after  my  departure  down  the  river,  on  board  a  "  white  collar " 
steamez',  and  while  dreamily  gazing  upon  the  lovely  scenery  of 
Lake  Pepin,  and  musing  upon  the  marvelous  enchantment  of 
the  Great  North-west,  I  was  suddenly  inspired  with  the  idea 
of  publishing  a  Dioristic  and  Statistical  History  of  the  bright, 
new  city  which  I  had  so  recently  seen.  And  that  inspiration 
eventually  terminated  in  a  fixed  resolve.  For  even  though  a 
stranger  there,  I  could  not  fail  to  perceive  how  greatly  such  a 
book  was  needed,  and  also  the  prospective  surety  that  the  pub- 
lisher thereof  would  be  well  compensated  by  its  ready  sale. 

The  result  was  that  I  hastened  back  to  St.  Paul  early  in  No- 
vember. And  on  arriving  there,  the  editors  of  the  Daily 
Pioneer  and  the  Daily  Press  kindly  encouraged  me  by  compli- 
mentarily  noticing  my  intention.  But  very  soon  afterward, 
they  also  noticed  the  similar  individual  purposes  of  several 
native  "  brothers  of  the  scissors  and  the  quill,"  whom  my  com- 
ing effectively  roused  to  a  full  sense  of  the  "  golden  opportu- 
nity "  which  I  had  in  view.  And  as  I  prudently  declined  any 
rivalry  or  contest  with  those  who  were  so  much  better  qualified 
to  successfully  accomplish  the  proposed  undertaking,  it  only 


2068018 


8  PREFACE. 

remained  for  me  to  "  interpret  well  that  meaning  cry  of  '  Ship 
ahoy,'  and  into  smoother  waters  quickly  steer."  (See  page 
397.) 

Yet,  one  pleasant  evening  before  I  sailed  from  the  port  of  St. 
Paul,  the  Spirit  of  "  Good  Dame  Fortune "  appeared  to  me 
with  her  charming  face  all  dimpled  in  a  patronizing  smile. 
And,  while  a  sweet,  hope-beguiluig  expression  stole  out  of  her 
coquettish  eyes,  she  said  to  me,  "  Come,  disheartened  mortal, 
cheer  thee  up !  Be  of  good  heart,  and  listen !  With  the  aid 
of  my  magic  power,  ere  to-morrow's  sun  goes  down,  thou  shalt 
have  the  Key  to  a  Mystery  that's  been  long  concealed.  With 
that  talisman  in  thy  hand,  and  the  story  of  the  beautiful, 
golden-haired  Fleurette,  whom  thou  know'st  so  well,  strange 
fatalities  may  be  revealed !  Come ;  get  thee  to  thy  task !  And 
remember  that  we  shall  meet  again !  Farewell !" 

So,  having  acted  upon  the  Spirit's  suggestion,  I  am  now 
vain  enough  to  believe  that  this  Volume  of  "  DAKOTA  LAND  ; 
or,  The  Beauty  of  St.  Paul"  will  prove  both  interesting  and 
instructive  to  every  reader  who  may  honor  it  with  a  fair  peru- 
sal through. 

Dakota  Land  proper,  originally  included  nearly  all  the  terri- 
tory which  is  now  occupied  in  part  by  the  States  of  Wisconsin, 
Iowa  and  Minnesota—  only  that  distant  section  north  of  Ne- 
braska and  west  of  Minnesota,  yet  retaining  the  Dakota  name. 
So  after  all,  Dakota  Land  and  the  Great  North-west  are  simply 
different  appellations  for  the  same  region.  The  former  was 
chosen  for  the  title  of  this  volume,  because  it  harmonized  more 
pleasantly  with  the  peculiar  character  of  the  objects  and 
themes  which  I  purposed  treating  upon.  Whether  that  choice 
may  have  been  an  appropriate  one,  the  reader  will  now  determ- 
ine unknown  to  me  and  regardless  of  my  opinion. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


INDEX  TO   CONTENTS. 

A  Synoptical  Reference  to  Scenes  and  Events  of  the  Volume, 

Necessarily  or  Incidentally  Connected  with  the  Eemarkablc 

Denouements  of  "  LOST,  and  FOUND  !" 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Solitary  Pine. . .A  Strange  Fancy. .  .Upon  a  Lofty  Hill. ..A  Sunset  View. . . 
The  Bright  New  City... Children  of  the  -Bo/s  brule... Round  Blue  Stones... A  Cu- 
rious Mound... No  More  Crimson  Hues..  .A  Twilight  Dream.. .Church  Spires  and 
Council  Fires. ..The  Plowman's  Whistle,  and  the  Farm-house  Dinner-horn. .  ..The 
Red  Man's  Blood... Enchanted  Ground... A  Lost  Spirit... Theory  of  the  Past. ..A 
Weird  Sentinel  of  Time ! 1  ™ 

CHAPTER   II. 

Magic  Arts. ..The  Prophet's  Tomb.. .A  "  Shrine  of  Life". ..The  Franciscan  Ad- 
venturer...Cavern  of  Wakan-tebee...Back  Two  Hundred  Years. ..The  Gospel 
Missionary... A  Temple  of  Ruin. .."Pig's  Eye"  Pandemonium... Hell  of  Virgil 
and  Dante... Incantation  of  the  Fiends... Poison  for  the  Aborigine... The  Dawn 
of  Light... Finding  a  Lost  ^ej/...Parrant'a  Fate  to  be  Revealed... Consulting  the 
Stars. .  .The  "  Angel  of  Love,"  and  the  "  Eye  of  God !" 27 

CHAPTER  III. 

Northern  Wilds... An  Ambitious  Earl.... The  Marquis  Dupontavifise...Frora 
Paris  to  Red  River... "Morganatic  Ties". ..A  Singular  Town... Unknown  El  Do- 
rado... Beauty  Will  Fade... History  of  a  Life... Widowhood  and  Despair... The 
Fair  Adventuress. .  .A  Fur  Trader's  Love. .  .What  Jealousy  Will  Do. .  .Kaskadino, 
the  "Medicine  Man". ..A  Heartless  Nurse. ..Cool  Draughts  and  Poison. ..The 
Mother  Dies. . .  Hear  that  Voice  ! 41 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Grave-Digger's  Mound... Marriage  a  la  mode  du  pays...'1  No  Pedigree,  110 
Nation,  no  God!"... What  History  Does  Not  Tell... Approach  of  "The  Destroy- 
er"...Wooing  a  Brother's  Child!... Staking  a  Human  Soul... Marvelous  Coinci- 
dence In  Life Prodigal  Coquettes.... "God  Bless  thnt  Man!" — Farewell  to 

Mother's  Grave. ...The  "Ox-Train"  Moving... .Intoxicating  Sounds... Modern 
Sons  of  Ishmael... Encampment  at  Night...  A  Novelty  more  Primitive  than  Tubal 
Cain! 57 

CHAPTER   V. 

Imaginary  Fears..."  Voice  of  the  Bells  "...When  Graveyards  Yawn... The 
Tavern  Keeper's  Son... Something  About  Cats... A  Country  School. ..An  Idiot's 
Love.. .Village  Superstition... A  Deed  of  Blood.. .The  Haunted  House. ..Chal- 
lenge Accepted. ..A  "Million  Sighs! '...Journey  in  the  Dark. ..The  Forest  of 
Pines. ..Unearthing  a  Ghost... Did  the  Devil  Enter  Swine ?...Moonrise  in  Minne- 
sota. ..An  EuchautiugSciMie...The  Yawning  Chasm...  A  Devious  Path  I 71 

1* 


10  INDEX  TO   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Delicious  Repose... Flight  with  Morpheus... Back  to  the  Solitary  Pine... That 
Curious  Mound... Presentiment  of  Evil. ..Philosophy  of  Fear. . .Natural  Melo- 
dies... An  Imbecile  Statue... The  Sobbing  of  Grief. ..Spell-bound... In  the  Claws 
of  a  Demon.. .A  Stysian  Imp. ..Prince  of  Darkness..." Was  it  of  Woman 
Born?". ..The  Paralyzed  Arm. ..A  Gorgon  Laugh. ..One  of  God's  Creatures,  alter 
all... A  Wild  "Ha,  ha !".. .The  Vision  Dissolves! 87 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Hah-zah-ee-yun-kee- win... "Running  Injun  with  Bis  Moon  "...St.  Paulians 
Should  all  Have  Wives. ..An  Old  Squaw's  Grief. .  .Alas,  "Me  Choonkshee!"... 
Angry  Wakan  Stole  her  Child  away... Beautiful  Lament... Round  Blue  Stems, 
from  Minne-in-ee-o-pa... Mystery  of  the  Curious  Mound...A  Balm  for  Sorrow... 
Strange  Beliefs... The  Land  where  Spirits  Dwell... Scalps  and  Love... A  Mother's 
Superstition. .  .Strange  Adventure,  and  Terrific  Fall ! 95 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Shoulder-straps  and  Champagne... Drawing  it  Mild... Tea  versus  Wine...  The 
Two  Canoes... St.  Paul  in  the  Year  1845... Unexpected  Recognition  of  Parrant... 
Scene  in  his  Shanty...  A  Fair  Acquaintance...  "Go.  I  want  to  be  free !"..."  Give 
it  to  me,  or  you  die!". ..A  Mystery  Unexplained... Rescued  by  Old  Betz...In  tlio 
Cavern  of  Wakan-Tebee!...The  Rendezvous... Square  Rock  below  Mendota... 
The  Indian  Assassin... Parrant  Left  to  Die  1 113 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Kaskadino  in  Disguise...  A  Death  Struggle...  The  Body  not  Found...  Friendship 
of  Old  Betz... Disappointments  all  Around... Philosophy  of  Erratic  Love. ..The 
"Old  Story"  That's  Often  Told.. .Gone. ..Other  Destinies  to  Fill... Nuptial 
Vows...A  Painful  Suspicion... The  False  Piiest... Desertion... Phiueas  O'Brieu, 
the  Inebriate  Attorney. ..Uncertainty  of  the  Law... The  Graudmother's  Affec- 
tion. .  .Justice  or  Revenge ! 125 

CHAPTER    X. 

Indian  Summer  in  Minnesota... Dreamy  Seance  of  Nature... St.  Paul  by  Moon- 
light, in  November. ..New  York  City  at  Nij;ht,  in  a  Storm... Colossal  Tombs... 
Gloom  Without;  What's  Within  1. .  .Prayers  for  the  Dawn. . .  A  Girl-Mother  and  her 
B.ibe. .  .The  Palace  and  the  Attic  Room. .  .The  Gold  Screen  and  the  Broken  Pane. . . 
A  Heart  of  Stone. . .Three  Common  Wrougs. ..Portrait  oa  the  Wall. ..An  Evil 
Spirit  Hovering  Near ! i:ia 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Infant  Heiress. ..Marriage  without  Love... Love  without  Marriage... Pre- 
cept and  Example  for  Ambitious  Young  Girls. .  .The  Two  New  Mothers. .  .A  Bitter 
Heart. ..The  Dark  Resolve...  Saved  by  a  Picture... Bribes  Refused...  Every  thing 
to  Gain,  and  Nothing  to  Lose. ..A  Housekeeper's  Letter. .  .Warning  for  Rich 
Mothers. ..Counterplotting. ...Expiation  for  The  Destroyer.... More  than  Re- 
venge..^ Cruel  Wrong.  ..Wonderful  Instinct  of  a  Mother! 153 


INDEX   TO    CONTENTS.  1  1 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Personal  Charms... Beauty  and  Mind... Belle  of  the  Crescent  City... Wedded 
Life. .  .Nothing  we  have  or  eujoy  can  ever  remain  the  same !. .  .The  Unhappy  Hus 
baud. ..A  Loving  Wife. ..The  Poor  Old  Slaves. ..Who  Re.ueuiber  Levasseur... 
The  Financier  aud  Ladies' Man.. .Nobles  iu  Disguise... Social  L;UVB... Theory  of 
Love . . .  Marriage  Often  a  Fraud. .  .Festered  Hearts  and  Souls. . .  Duty  and  Desire. . . 
The  False  Go-between. .  .The  Apostate's  First  Repentance. .  .Searching  for  his  Lost 
Love . .  .Gyneocracy  and  Divorce ! 167 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Shadows  Falling. .  .Torture  aud  Despair. .  .The  Apostate  Warned. .  .Marvel- 
ous Daring... Gathering  of  the  Storm... The  Stolen  Child... Trick  and  Strata- 
gem... Uncouscious  Meeting  of  the  Rival  Mothers. ..The  Abyss  of  Ruin.. .A  Dis- 
tressing Scene... The  Fatal  Truth  Revealed... The  Destroyer  and  Avenger  face 
together... The  A/ecting  Denouement  of  LOST!... A  Compact  and  the  Oath!... Be- 
hold the  Sacrifice,  uow ! 183 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Desecrated  Sanctuary... Last  Link  Broken. ..The  Betrayed  Wife. .."Oh, 
let  me  die!"...TIie  Adventuress'  Last  Hope. ..The  "Beautiful  Snow!"... Where 
Cobwebs  Grow. ...The  Deserted  Dwelling... Inquisitive  Old  Maid ...." Them 
blasted  Niggers !". .  .The  Chamber  of  Mystery. .. Something  Wrong. .  .Bells  Tolling 
Fire... Burning  of  Levasseur's  City  Mansion... McJudas,  the  Detective,  in  Search 
of  Crime  Concealed  1 198 

CHAPTER   XV. 

Satan  Panting  for  Souls. ...The  Dismal  Palmetto  Tree.... Jupiter  Dim'd  by 
Mars...  Juno  in  Tears... The  Siren  Spy...  Potency  of  Gold...  Out  of  Rebeldom  into 
the  Union  Lines... .A  "  Consumptive  Invalid  and  her  Slaves"...."  Hear  that 
cough!". ..The  Great  "Dr.  Passion;"  a  Christian  Quack.. .A  Jersey  Farmer, 
whose  Dog  "  Goliali "  has  an  "  Opinion".. .The  Farmer's  Strange  Suspicion  that 
he  sees  "Mini,"  the  Convict,  who  escaped  many  years  ago... Going  to  Minne- 
sota... The  Four  Sisters..."  O,  must  she  die?" 207 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

The  Deserted  Wife.... Her  Slaves'  Affection.... "O,  when  his  heart  grows 
sad!"... Doom  of  the  Fair  Adventuress... A  Sectarian  Asylum... The  Poor  Little 
Orphans... Those  Sad  Blue  Eyes...  A  Sweet  Foundling.  ..The  Necklace  of  "Job's 
Tears"... Something  to  Love... The  Hectic  Flush... Old  Mortality... The  "Two 
Lands  of  Flowers". ..See  the  Vampire  Smile... Pure  Air  better  than  Medicine... 
Force  of  Example. ..Steamboat  Captains  in  the  East  and  iu  the  West... Arrival 
at  St.  Paul. .  .Dr.  Passion  iu  the  River  1 223 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

A  Piercing  Scream... Goliah  quickly  Flies  to  the  Rescue  of  Fleurette,  and 
coolly  Leaves  the  Vampire  to  Drown... A  Grand  Ovation  to  Goliah... The  Wid- 
ower's Heart. .  .Friends  Must  Part. .  .Sincere  Regrets. .  .Sancho  and  the  Quacks. . . 
Southern  Ideas  of  Cold...  Spring  and  the  Blue  Bird's  Song. .  .Rosy  Cheeks  when 
the  ButterCups  Bloom... The  Sioux  War-whoop!... A  Sea  of  Blood... The  "  Tur- 
key and  the  Crow  I"... "7s  there  Such  a  Man  J"... The,  Captive  Girls... Horrors 
Untold. .  .The  Escape. .  .Poor  Goliah ..."  Father  is  dead !" 239 


12  INDEX   TO    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Tradition  of  the  "Flood "...The  Three  Sons  of  Noah... A  Chiefs  Power... 
Family  Relations. ..Indian Laws... Prisoners  of  War. ..Caligula Outdone... Obse- 
quies of  their  Dead... Marriage... "Plenty  of  Wives!"... Virtue  and  Divorce... 
Utility  of  Squaws. . .In  and  Around  the  Teepees. .  .Brutal  Feelings. .  .Immortality 
of  their  Souls. .."Dog  Pie  "...Mounted  for  the  Chase... Cunning  of  Wolves... 
Voracious  Gluttons The  Blanket  "Carryall" The  Red  Man's  Redemp- 
tion!  257 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Anti-Sectarian  Germans... Churches  Forhidden...The  Girl-Captives  saved  by 
a  Whisky-Keg... Execution  of  "Bad  Injuns"..."  Good  Injuns"  Sent  Away... 
Amusing  Interview  with  Old  Betz... Phrenological  Inquisition... Kosh-popee  all 
the  time. ..The  Marvelous  Creature  Sings  a  Song. ..Indian  Etiquette... Ghastly 
Toys.... Plumes  of  the  Brave.... Classic  Aborigines... .God's  Handiwork  Gone 
Astray. . .Tho  Dying  Squaw  ! 273 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Smoldering  Ruins... Goliah  Not  Dead;  but  Saves  his  Master's  Life... A  Joyful 
Return..."  We're  beggars  now!"... Prospects  of  the  Future. ..A  Friend  in  Need.. 
The  "Scare,"  and  Fall  in  Real  Estate...  A  "Dog-Train"  from  Red  River...  Farmer 
Denfou's  "  Sledge  "  Adventure. .  .Worse  than  Dr.  Bartlett's  Camels. .  .Novel  Jour- 
ney Over  the  Snow... Dogs  and  Wolves..."  Playing  'Possum "...Canine  Hotels... 
The  Hunger  of  a  Blighted  Heart. ..An  Old  Ardor  Anew... "I  ne'er  jiniiiii  slinll 
wed  1" 278 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  "  Angel  Heart "  Proves  Faithful  Still. .  .Wooing  the  "  Beauty  of  St.  PauL". .  • 
The  Prodigals  of  Stolen  Bliss  in  Paris  yet. .  .But  God  has  heard  the  Wife's  Prayer, 
and  at  length  the  Husband's  Heart  does  grow  sad... The  Grandmother's  Affec- 
tion proves  a  Fatal  Curse... Jealousy  and  the  Result. ..A  Pleasure  Dream  of  Six- 
teen Years  at  its  Eud... Darkest  before  Dawn... The  Forsaken,  Penitent  Man... 
Sleep  of  Remorse  and  Vision  of  Joy... And  then,  instead  of  Love  Returned  with 
Life,  only  a  Corpse  is  Promised  to  the  Wife... Put  Flowers  on  his  Grave... Moon- 
beams from  Above  t 3U5 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

"He  comes  I"...  "Ma,  dear,  God  is  always  near!". ..The  Coffin  on  board  the 
Steamer. ..Strangers  in  St.  Paul... Hospitality  Accepted... A  Solemn  Scene... 
Prayer  of  the  "Angel  Heart". .."Let  our  Graves  be  One!". ..The  Dead  Alive... 
Startling  Denouement  of  FODND!..."  Your  corpse;  what  of  that?". ..The  Prototype 
Beauties ! . . .  Wonders  Multiplied. .  .Truth  Stranger  than  Fiction. .  .The  Joy  of"  Lost 
Love  Returned !" 32 1 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

A  Speculation... Four  Crimson  Blushes... The  Three  Brides..."  She's  my  only 
boy!".. .Jane  "Counted  In."...  Up  in  the  Wo  rid...  Elegance  of  St.  Paul...  Nothing 
Like  Money  Anywhere... The  Citizens  of  St.  Paul... Who  Live  in  the  Palaces,  and 
What's  "Behind  the  Scenes"... Under  the  Gaslight  Glare. ..The  Diatin-mished 
and  the  Wealthy...  A  long  List  of  Kmiaeut  Names  in  full...  Smiles  of  Welcome... 


INDEX   TO    CONTENTS.  13 

Getting  into  "Society  !"...The  Same  Man  Still... Fighting  the  Cold. ..A  Word  to 
"Consumptives!"... The  "Beavers "...Their  Habits  and  Customs.. .A  Curioua 
Study. . .Real-estate  "  Fiiianciera !" 335 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Summer  Resorts... Pharaonic  Apollyons,  and  Cytherian  Decoys... Where  Souls 
are  Prepared  for  Hell....ZVb  "Black  Crook"  in  the  Retreats  of  Dakota  Laud, 
where  Virtue  Sweetly  Breathes... Scenery  on  the  Mississippi  River... Castellated 
Blufl's...  Mountain  Graves.. .The  "Lake  of  Tears  "...Traditions  of  the  Past... 
When  the  Bottom  of  Lake  Pepiu  Fell  Out. ..The  Garrard  Estate... Society  of 
Frontenac. . .  A  Summer  Paradise  in  Embryo. .  .The  Ahode  of  Happiness. .  .Myste- 
rious Boiling  River. . . A  Terraqueous  Problem  for  Geologists  to  Solve ! 353 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Winter  in  Minnesota. .  .Consumptives  in  the  "  Promised  Land  " . .  .Celestial  Phe- 
nomena... Sun-Dogs;  Moon-Dogs,  and  Lumen  .Boreafe...Nicollet  House,  in  Minne- 
apolis. .." Louise "  and  the  Author  Laughing  at  Zero... L' Hotel de  Shantie... The 
Mystic  Tree... Shivering  Romance... A  Frozen  Beauty... The  "  Weeping  Waters " 
Entombed  in  Ice...  A  World  of  Pure  White  Glass.  ..Rendezvous  of  the  Great... 
Where  Lovers  Can  Woo... Boulevard  of  St.  Paul... What  Strangers  Desire  to 
Know. .  .Skeleton  of  Tah-o-ah-ta-doo-ta. .  .Po-^o-na-ghe-shick  On  a  Spree  I 3G9 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Delightful  Drives. .  .The  ' '  Round  Trip  " . .  .Legend  of  Anpetusapa. . .  Devotion  of 
Scarlet  Dove. . .Fast  Horses. ..Race  to  Lake  Como...A  Genius  in  St.  Paul. ..The 
"Calumet  of  Peace". ..A  Happy  Home. ..Exhuming  a  Skeleton... The  Knife  and 
Pistol... Scene  in  "Alpine  Cottage  "...Solving  aMysteryof  the  Past... Bones  of 
Old  "Pig's  Eye"...rft«  "Lost  Key"  Found  /...Editors  Playing  "Bluff  "...Story 
of  Parrant's  Ghost. ..The  very  Best  of  Men. ..Burning  of  Barnum's  Museum... 
Among  the  Ashes  of  Snakes  and  Bears ! 383 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

The  Grandmother's  Repentance,  and  the  Granddaughter's  Grief. ..Pursuit  of 
the  "Forsaken  Husband"... The  Beautiful  Maniac. .."My  child,  not  hers!".. .A 
Misspent  Life. .  .The  Self-willed  Man. .  .Flight  of  "  Irene  " . .  .The  Wife's  Prophecy 
Fulfilled... Memories  of  the  Past. ..The  Dead-house... Fate  of  Leonore... Dying 
Confession  of  the  Avenger. .  .The  Beautiful  Prototype  Sisters... One  Accursed,  and 
the  other  a  Happy  Bride... Revisiting  St.  Paul... The  Vampire  Caught  at  last... 
Pity  of  the  "Angel  Heart". ..The  Destroyer's  Remorse...  A  Tomb  in  Greenwood 
Cemetery. . . Now,  and  Forevermore ! ! 405 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Illuminated  with  over  One  Hundred  Engravings  of  Descriptive 
Scenery,  Authentic  Portraits  and  Dramatic  Tableaux. 

1 .  ENGRAVED  PHOTOGRAPH  OF  THE  AUTHOR (Frontispiece.) 

2.  PORTRAIT  OF  FLEURETTE,  "THE  BEAUTY  OF  ST.  PAUL"  ...(Illuminated  Title.) 

3.  The  "  Solitary  Piue,"  beyond  the  wide  river Page    17 

4.  Sunset  View  of  the  ' '  Bright  New  City  " 17 

5.  A  Rolling  Prairie  in  Dakota  Land 26 

6.  View  of  Upper  Fort  Garry,  on  Red  Ki ver 27 

7.  Portrait  of  "  Winneshiek,"  with  his  "  Pipe  of  Peace  " 27 

8.  Old  Indian  Graves,  near  the  town  of  Crow  Wing 32 

9.  Aboriginal  method  of  traveling  "On  Rail" 36 

10.  Portrait  of  the  Sioux  Chief  ' '  Little  Crow  " 40 

11.  A  Fur  Trader  wooing  "Leonore's"  Mother 41 

12.  Moonlight  View  iu  Dakota  Land 44 

13.  Lovely  Night  Scene  in  the  Red  River  Region 48 

14.  Church  and  Mission  School  at  Pembina 52 

15.  The  Great  "  Golgotha  "of  Dakota  Land 56 

16.  An  "  Ox-Train  "  from  Red  River  to  Mendota 57 

17.  Fort  Pembina,  with  Ox-Train  and  Half-breed  Teepees 6 1 

18.  An  Ox-Train  Encampment  at  Night 70 

19.  The  Idiot  tormenting  his  Favorite  Cat 71 

20.  Portrait  of  'Cut  Nose,"  or  "Me  Good  Injun" 76 

21.  Portrait  of  Ex-Governor  Ramsey 82 

22.  An  Object  but  vaguely  suggesting  a  "  Habitation  " 86 

23.  Primeval  View  on  Lake  Miunetonka 87 

24.  Traditional  Throne  of  the  Spirit  of  War 87 

25.  An  Indian  Burial  Scaffold 92 

26.  Portrait  of '  •  Old  Betz,"  the  Centenarian  Squaw 98 

27.  Marriage  Ceremony  of  the  Chippeways 99 

28.  Moonlight.  View  of  Burial  Scaffolds  on  Dayton's  Bluff 101 

29.  A  Naudowessian  Sibyl,  or  " Imaginary  Witch" 112 

30.  The  Lovely  Ideal  of  a  Youthful  Dream 112 

31.  Scene  on  White  Bear  Lake,  near  Murray's  Hotel 113 

32.  A  First-Class  Hotel,  during  the  Reign  of  "  Pig's  Eye  " 1 13 

33.  The  Surroundings  of  Fort  Snelling 124 

34.  Near  the  "  Square  Rock"  below  Meudota 125 

35.  The  Assassination  of  Old  Parrant 12."> 

36.  Portrait  of  "Standing  Buffalo"  ("Sweet  Corn's"  friend) 132 

37.  Fancy  Portrait  of  "  One  Good  Little  Injun  Boy  " 138 

38.  The  "Girl  Mother"  and  lier  Babe,  in  the  Attic  Room 139 

39.  Cathedral  of  St.  Bonifare,  near  Fort  Garry 146 

40.  Landscape  at  "  Red  Wood,"  witli  an  Indian  Camp 1"'J 

41.  Scene  in  the  Rich  Wife's  Luxurious  Chamber 153 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  15 

42.  A  Life  Saved  by  the  Eyes  of  a  Picture 153 

43.  The  "  Laughing  Water,"  or  Minnehaha  Falls 160 

44.  View  of  Fort  Abercrombie,  on  Red  River 166 

45.  Soire  Dansanle,  in  Washington  City 167 

46.  The  Recreant  Husband,  a  Ladies'  Man 167 

47.  City  of  St.  Paul,  viewed  from  Dayton's  Bluff,  in  1853 176 

48.  Pembina  Settlement,  Mouth  of  Peinbina  River 182 

49.  The  Desecrated  Sanctuary 183 

50.  Oath  of  the  Apostate  Husband 183 

51.  Portrait  of  "  Red  Irou,"  an  "Ugly  Savage" 190 

52.  View  of  Otter  Tail  City  and  Lake 196 

53.  The  Deserted  Mansion  and  the  Beautiful  Snow 197 

54.  Indian  Girls  Engaged  in  Useful  Occupation 202 

55.  The  "Magic  Ferry"  across  Rum  River. 206 

56.  A  Convict's  Family,  and  the  Necklace  of  Bear's-Claws 207 

57.  Lake  Pepin.  with  Distant  View  of  ' '  Maiden  Rock  " 207 

58.  Rock  Island,  where  the  Sioux  Monsters  are  confined 216 

59.  Party  of  Summer  Tourists  "Camping  Out" 222 

60 .  The  Inside  of  a  New  York  City  Orphan  Asylum 223 

61.  View  of  Castellated  Bluffs,  near  Lake  Pepin 230 

62.  Romantic  Scenery  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  River. 238 

63.  A  "White-Collar1'  Steamer  at  the  St.  Paul  Levee 239 

64.  The  Dog  "  Goliah  "  rescues  ' •  Fleurette  "  from  Drowning 239 

65.  View  at  Crow  Wing,  Minnesota,  in  1353 '. 250 

66.  The  Widowed  Mother,  and  Her  Heroic  Boy 256 

67.  Mounted  Indians,  chasing  a  Herd  of  Buffalo 257 

68.  View  of  Pelican  Lake,  near  Otter  Tail  River 265 

69.  Countless  Mounds  of  the  "Ancient  Dead!" 272 

70.  A  Scene  During  the  Sioux  Massacre  of  '62 273 

71.  The  Dog"  Goliah  "Killing  the  Assassin  of  his  Master. 273 

72.  Portrait  of  a  Murderous  Indian 280 

73.  White  Women  attacking  the  Captured  Sioux 286 

74.  A  "  Dog-Sledge"  Train,  approaching  at  full  speed 287 

75 .  Tourists  enraptured  at  t ho  sight  of  Red  Elver 294 

76.  Picturesque  View  of  "Wild-Goose-Nest"  Lake 304 

77.  A  Sunbeam  on  the  head  of  the  Penitent  Man 305 

78.  The  Dream  of  Remorse  and  Vision  of  Joy. 305 

79.  An  Eccentric  Horse  giving  his  Rider  a  Bath 312 

80.  Wild  Scenery  on  the  "Aasouri"  River 320 

81 .  The  ' '  Angel  Heart "  expecting  the  Corpse  of  her  Husband 321 

82.  View  of  St.  Paul  and  River,  as  seen  from  the  Western  Heights 321 

83.  St.  Andrew's  Church,  at  Selkirk  Colony 328 

84.  Tourists  fording  the  "Calumet"  River 334 

85.  Fleurette,  "  The  Beauty  of  St.  Paul,"  riding  her  Pet  Horse 335 

86.  A  View  of  St.  Paul,  looking  toward  Dayton's  Bluff. 335 

8?     Spontaneous  Strawberry  Festival,  hi  Dakota  Laud 342 

88.  The  modest  "Claim"  of  Johannes  Oborhoffer 351 

89.  View  of  "Devil  Lake,"  where  "Little  Crow"  was  Killed 352 

90.  Bennett,  the  Red-Wing  Artist,  and  his  Sister 353 

91.  A  Lovely  Scene  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  River 353 

92     The  Peculiarity  of  "  Sandstone  "  Hills 360 

93.  A  Panoramic  View  of  River  Islands 368 

94.  The  Grand  Plaza,  iu  the  City  of  Minneapolis 369 


1C  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

95.  Tourists  enjoying  the  "  Round-Trip  "  Drive > 369 

96.  Suspension  Bridge,  at  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony 3  4 

97.  Portrait  of  Po-go-na-gbe-shich,  or  ' '  Hole-in-the-Day  " 382 

98.  A  Ride  to  Lake  Como,  with  "  Beauty  and  Fashion  " 383 

99.  "Webb's"  Team  distancing  "Farmer  Denton'a" 383 

100.  The  "  First  Shanty  "  erected  where  the  "Bright  New  City  "now  stands.  390 

101.  View  on  the  Ash-ki-big-isibi,  or  "  Green-Leaf  River  " 404 

102.  Scene  in  Greenwood  Cemetery,  New  York  City 405 

103.  The  Graves  of ' '  Zorah  and  Leonore !" 40.) 

104.  Distant  View  of  Pembina  Mountain. 414 

105.  The  "  Silver  Cascade,"  abeautiful  waterfall 42« 

106.  Impatient  "Sight-Seers"  Starting  on  a  Tour 378 

107.  River-Side  View  "Where  tho  Iron  Horso  Runs  in  Dakota  Land" 344 

108.  An  Ex-Consumptive  Invalid,  taking  it  Easy 402 

109.  A  Hungry  Tourist  Left  Behind 379 

110.  Portrait  of  Governor  Marshall,  of  Minnesota 377 

111.  The  old  Flag-tower  of  Fort  Snelling. 319 

112.  Happy  Tourists  HOJTFWAKD  BOUND  ! 403 

Also,  (finely  engraved  on  copper-plate,  and  nicely  colored,)  a  Large  and  Accurate 

Map  Of  The   Entire  Great  North-West! 


CHAPTER   I. 


MY  eyes  are  full — yet  not  in 
tears!  There  is  magic  in  this 
lovely  scene,  and  inspiration  in 
the  delicious  air  that  I  breathe ! 
In  my  veins  there  is  a  current 
of  electrical  delight,  and  my 
heart  expands  with  a  rapturous 
thrill !  My  soul  is  absorbed 
and  my  senses  are  lost  in  the 
transport  of  an  enchanting 
dream,  while  my  tongue  is 
eagerly  dancing  to  utter  wild  words  of  joy !  But  where 
am  I,  and  what  do  I  see  ? 

I  live  not  here.  My  home  is  far  away !  They  told 
me  of  a  bright  realm  of  flowers,  of  beautiful  lakes  and 
winding  streams,  where  health  and  happiness  might 
dwell  forever !  Then,  with  the  lightning  speed  of  mod- 
ern travel,  I  journeyed  hither,  this  paradise  to  see. 
\  And  yonder,  where  the  gray  stone  walls  and  the 
church  spires  are  gleaming,  I  arrived  a  few  days  ago. 

Away  in  the  distance,  beyond  a  wide  river,  I  beheld 
a  dark  bluff"  towering  upward  high.    And  upon  the  dark 


18  THE    SOLITARY    PINK. 

bluff  I  saw  a  lonely  pine !  The  people,  in  their  daily 
rounds  of  leisure  or  of  business  strife,  could  behold  the 
bluff,  and  they  might  perceive  the  pine.  I  scanned  their 
faces  well,  yet  saw  not  one  who  paused  to  glance  that 
way.  But,  musingly,  I  said,  why  should  they  pause, 
when  to  them  the  sight  was  nothing  new?  For  just 
there,  the  same  from  day  to  day,  the  dark  bluff  ever 
reared  its  form.  And  as  all  novelties  lose  their  attrac- 
tion when  constantly  seen,  so  the  people  thought  not  of 
what  I  saw.  Thus,  how  true  it  is  that  we  often  under- 
value or  overlook  the  greatest  blessings  which  are  given 
us  to  enjoy.  Even  beauty  must  be  scarce  or  new  to 
gain  notice  more  than  common  things ! 

And  as  the  passing  multitude  strode  or  rode  along,  I 
stood  lost  in  contemplation  of  the  scene.  Pensive  I 
was  and  my  heart  grew  sad.  I  could  not  help  imagin- 
ing that  I  saw  the  giant  form  of  a  sorrowful  and  weary 
sentinel,  who  had  been  left  standing  there  upon  the 
bluff  by  some  strange  long-past  decree,  to  count  the 
lapse  of  time,  and  then  to  guard  the  bright  new  city 
which  was  to  be ! 

And  how  forlorn  it  appeared  to  me !  Without  regard 
from  any  one,  for  days  and  nights  unnumbered,  in  sum- 
mer suns  and  winter  snows,  there  it  had  been  for  many, 
many  years ! 

Solitary  and  alone!  No  comrades  near.  Not  so 
much  as  a  little  dwarf  oak,  or  a  scraggy  bush,  could  I 
then  discern  upon  the  rocky  summit  where  it  grew. 

The  longer  I  mused  upon  the  mournful  tree,  the  more 
I  wished  to  hie  me  thither  and  cheer  it  with  a  human 
smile.  And  puerile  as  that  impulse  may  seem  to  other 
minds,  I  could  not  resist  it  then.  We  all  have  little 
fancies  at  certain  times,  which  might  be  sneered  at  by 
the  world,  if  they  were  disclosed  without  a  redeeming 


A    SUNSET   VIEW.  19 

cause.      Neither  the   wisest,  nor  the  very  great,  are 

exempt  from  the  general  rule. 

But  to  sympathize  with  a  solitary  tree,  would  sound 

so  silly  in  adult  ears  that  I  quietly  resolved  to  indulge 

my  weird  fancy,  without  consulting  any  one.     Thus, 
At  the  close  of  a  lovely  autumn  day, 
In  "  Dakota-land,"  I  wander  away 
To  the  solitude  of  a  lofty  hill, 
Where  the  throbbing  of  life  is  hush'd  still — 
And  here,  upon  this  bleak  and  barren  stone, 
Amid  the  solemn  silence,  all  alone, 
As  the  evening  shadows,  lengthening,  fall, 
I  sit  and  gaze  in  rapture  on  St.  Paul ! 

Reclining  upon  the  brow  of  this  gigantic  bluff,  beneath 
the  solitary  pine,  with  great  hill-tops  around  me,  all 
rearing  toward  the  steel-blue  sky ;  and 

From  doubtful-meaning  smiles  apart, 

My  soul  is  unrestrained  and  free 
To  linger  sadly  with  my  heart, 
Or  sail  out  on  a  pleasant  sea ! 

But  I  came  too  late  for  a  grand  view  in  the  full  blaze 
of  day.  Even  now  the  sun  is  disappearing  behind  a 
dark  promontory  which  seems  to  defy  the  hostile  frowns 
of  old  Fort  Snelling,  whose  gloomy  walls  across  the 
river  overshadow  the  "  meeting  of  the  waters !"  The 
western  horizon  is  glowing  with  gorgeous  crimson  hues, 
and  the  little  cloudlets  are  brightly  fringed  with  lumi- 
nous tints  of  gold,  while  a  pleasant  murmur  in  the  soft 
and  mellow  air  hushes  nature  to  repose ! 

Below  the  rock  whereon  I  am  sitting, 

Away  down  there,  four  hundred  feet  and  more, 

Millions  of  golden  ripples  are  flitting 
Along  the  Mississippi's  pebbly  shore — 

Flowing  on  thousands  of  miles  to  the  sea, 

Like  Time  rolling  into  Eternity  ! 


20  CHILDREN    OF   THE   BOI.;    1JUULK 

In  the  edge  of  a  small  forest,  further  back  upon  the 
bluff,  a  mile  or  so  away,  I  behold  a  slender  volume  of 
smoke  curling  up  from  the  mud  chimney  of  a  rude 
cabin.  And  down  in  the  sloping  ravine,  near  that  great 
spring  of  water  bubbling  all  the  year,  I  can  perceive 
three  objects,  half  concealed  among  the  bushes.  Mov- 
ing slowly  around,  they  presently  emerge  upon  the  bare 
rock ;  and  now  I  can  distinguish  a  woman  and  two  little 
ones. 

An  old  Indian  squaw  had  a  favorite  daughter  who 
married  the  son  of  a  bois  brule  ;  and  she  is  now  with  her 
grand-children  there  upon  the  rock  above  the  ravine. 
The  children  live  with  their  parents  in  that  abode  where 
the  volume  of  smoke  is  curling  up  in  the  air.  The  cabin 
itself  is  in  the  edge  of  the  forest  and  scarcely  visible  from 
here. 

There  they  go  up  the  steep,  and  then  down  again 
into  the  ravine.  The  old  squaw  leads  the  way,  and  the 
little  ones  cling  to  her  blanket  as  they  scramble  through 
the  briers. 

She  reminds  me  of  a  hen  quail  or  a  maternal  turkey, 
skulking  out  of  sight  to  screen  her  young  ones  from  im- 
pending harm.  The  children  hover  each  side  of  their 
old  grandma  just  as  I  have  seen  timid  young  birds  nestle 
up  to  their  dam,  when  the  hunter  and  his  dogs  were 
near. 

And  I  can  not  help  fancying  that  she  is  actually  cluck- 
ing to  the  little  chicks,  while  leading  them  through  the 
bushes,  up  and  down  among  the  stones.  Perhaps  she  is 
cherishing  a  desire  which  she  can  not  realize.  It  occurs 
to  me  that  she  is  yearning  to  entice  those  children  away 
to  the  haunts  of  her  tribe.  She  loves  them,  and  they 
are  fond  of  her.  And  impelled  by  that  unconquerable 
habit  or  instinct  of  nature  which  characterizes  her  race,  I 


A   CURIOUS   MOUND.  21 

imagine  her  to  be  wishing  within  her  heart  that  she  could 

o  o 

lead  them  hence  and  have  them  all  her  own.  Yet  that 
can  never  be.  Civilization  has  partly  reclaimed  their 
father,  and  lie  has  taught  their  mother  to  live  in  a  man- 
ner less  barbarous  than  she  did  in  the  wigwam,  or  tee- 
pee,  of  her  parents  before  he  made  her  his  wife.  But 
there  they  go  down  into  the  narrow  glen,  and  are  soon 
entirely  out  of  sight ! 

And  now  I  discover  an  object  of  much  greater  interest 
quite  near.  With  vague  conjectures  I  try  to  account 
for  the  origin  of  that  huge  pile  of  round  blue  stones  not 
many  rods  from  the  edge  of  the  bluff!  It  seems  to  have 
been  the  work  of  human  hands.  The  stones  are  nearly 
all  of  the  same  shape  and  size,  and  evidently  heaped  up 
there  for  some  particular  purpose  and  with  great  care — 
like  one  of  those  Indian  mounds,  but  entirely  of  stones, 
and  to  all  appearance  more  recently  formed.  I  have  not 
seen  any  stones  precisely  like  those  anywhere  about  St. 
Paul.  Can  it  be  possible  that  they  were  all  brought 
by  the  Indians  from  some  distant  place  and  piled  up 
I  :re  in  such  a  shape  ?  Really,  I  would  like  to  know 
why  they  were  placed  here  thus.  But  it  is  tiseless  to 
study  out  any  theory — for  these  prairies  and  hills,  and 
lakes,  and  rivers,  are  full  of  mystei-ious  evidences  of 
the  past,  which  neither  history  nor  science  will  ever 
unseal ! 

Again  I  turn  my  eyes  upon  the  beautiful  city  to  per- 
ceive that  its  walls  are  no  longer  gleaming.  The  flood 
of  sunlight  that  made  them  look  so  bright  when  I  first 
gained  the  top  of  this  elevated  wild,  has  now  entirely 
gone.  Even  the  lurid  fires  that  seemed  to  blaze  from 
the  window-panes  of  glass  have  lost  all  their  glow. 

But  what  a  tranquil  scene !  The  hush  of  silence  is 
sublime ! 


22  A   TWILIGHT   DREAM. 

The  bright  glory  of  sunset  i&  dying 
Upon  the  gilded  expanse  in  the  west, 

And  the  hawk  and  the  crow  both  are  flying 
To  the  far-off  hills  for  a  place  of  rest. 

No  more  golden  hues,  nor  a  sign  of  red—- 
The lingering  twilight  is  lost  in  gloom — 
Silently  it  mourns  for  the  day  that's  dead — 
Then  softly  slumbers  in  its  airy  tomb ! 

And  now  stars  bedeck  the  great  blue  arch  above. 
But  the  surface  of  the  river  is  still  in  sight.  A  little 
archipelago  divides  the  stream  lengthwise  between ;  and 
the  waters  resemble  a  great  white  ribbon,  in  the  centre 
all  rent  and  torn,  and  stretching  westward  until  lost 
behind  the  black  outline  of  invisible  hills. 

Sharp  gleams  of  gas-light  are  plainly  seen  over  in  the 
city  where  vacant  space  admits  a  view,  and  feebler 
lights  are  glimmering  among  the  humble  abodes  down 
on  the  plain  between  the  base  of  this  great  bluff  and 
the  water's  edge. 

In  the  distance,  there  is  a  monster  light,  with  many 
smaller  ones  spread  around.  They  belong  to  a  packet 
just  coming  up  the  river  with  passengers  and  merchan- 
dise. I  hear  the  steam-pipe  signal  howling  fierce  and 
wild,  and  mark  its  echoes  far  and  near. 

Would  I  were  among  the  throng  now  gathering  on 
the  levee  there  to  see  the  passengers  step  ashore;  for  I 
have  already  learned  that  strangers  least  expected  are 
coming  hither  every  day.  All  the  world  is  beginning 
to  think  and  talk  of  Minnesota — because  it  offers  some 
attraction  or  inducement  to  every  one.  But  I  shall  not 
leave  this  pleasant  solitude  yet  awhile. 

One  night,  many  years  ago,  I  sat  upon  Bergen  Hights-, 
before  Hudson  City  became  a  town,  and  gazed  at  the 
immense  metropolis  across  the  North  River.  That  scene 


ENCHANTED    GROUND.  23 

was  grand,  but  then  I  did  not  feel  the  indescribable 
charm  experienced  by  me  now.  There  never  was  any- 
thing around  New  York  so  peculiarly  romantic  as  the 
scenery  connected  with  St.  Paul.  At  least  I  never  knew 
it,  if  there  was. 

New  York  is  mighty  and  grand,  as  an  emporium  of 
commerce,  an  abode  of  luxury,  and  a  reservoir  of  misery 
and  want — while  this  bright  new  city  seems  to  be  an 
enchanted  rendezvous  for  the  acquisition  of  joyous  health 
and  buoyant  hope. 

A  new  city,  because  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
has  elapsed  since  all  this  region  was  an  uncultivated 
wild.  Just  there  where  the  city  now  sleeps  in  repose, 
only  rocks  and  trees  were  seen  but  a  few  years  ago. 
And  in  the  identical  spot  where  I  am  sitting  now, 
doubtless  many  a  savage  sat  long  before  the  first  pale- 
face came  this  way.  It  was  but  yesterday  that  the  red 
man's  canoe  glided  noiselessly  to  and  fro  upon  the  pel- 
lucid lakes  and  the  Father  of  Rivers  that  beautify  this 
wonderful  land.  Wonderful,  because  so  unlike  countries 
elsewhere. 

Church-spires  are  now  gleaming  in  the  light  of  day 
where  council  fires  then  burned  at  night.  Instead  of 
the  savage  war-whoop  "  on  the  prairies  and  in  the  hills," 
we  now  hear  the  "  plowman's  merry  whistle  and  the 
farmhouse  dinner-horn."  The  scenes  and  sights  of 
twenty-five  years  ago  nearly  all  have  past  away.  Only 
a  few  tame  savages  remain  prowling  hereabout  to  beg 
or  to  steal.  The  multitude  have  been  sent  further  to 
the  West,  The  revengeful  Chippeways  and  the  insa- 
tiate Sioux  no  longer  are  permitted  to  fight  their  terri- 
ble battles  here. 

The  soil  of  Minnesota  is  rich  with  human  blood ! 
Many  a  thrifty  farmer  is  accumulating  wealth  from  the 


24  THE    KED   MAN'S   BLOOD. 

products  of  land  made  -fertile  by  the  carcases  of  war- 
riors long  since  slain !  Here  it  was  that  a  deadly  strife 
between  the  aboriginal  Algonquin  and  the  encroaching 
Sioux  waged  incessantly  for  a  period  of  at  least  three' 
hundred  years ! 

Tradition  tells  us  that  the  Sioux  came  hither  ten  times 
three  hundred  and  fifty  moons  ago.  From  which  I  infer 
that  their  advent  had  some  connection  with  the  con- 
quest of  Mexico.  When  the  Spaniards  occupied  the 
halls  of  the  Montezumas,  a  large  and  powerful  host  of 
Indians  were  driven  to  the  North.  And  the  marked 
dissimilarity  of  the  Chippeways  (who  declare  that  their 
Algonquin  ancestors  have  been  here  forever)  and  the 
encroaching  Sioux  (who  came  from  afar),  is  some  evi- 
dence in  favor  of  the  hypothesis  I  suggest.  Indeed,  the 
relationship  of  the  Sioux  and  the  older  native  Indians  of 
Minnesota  must  have  been  like  that  of  the  Greeks  in 
Asia,  the  Romans  in  Greece,  the  Goths  in  Italy,  and 
the  English  in  Ireland.  Conquest  gave  them  a  strong 
footing. 

Another  Thermopylae  was  here ! 

Dakota  land  is  really  classic  ground.  And  though  no 
chiseled  marble  leaves  a  trace  to  mark  any  spot  where 
heroes  lie,  innumerable  mounds  of  buried  dead  are  seen 
to  prove  that  a  race  far  superior  to  the  miserable  red 
man  lived  and  died  here  in  time  long  since  past. 

When  I  first  beheld  the  great  rolling  prairies  of  this 
region  my  mind  was  filled  with  wondering  retrospection. 
The  rich  soil  is  filled  with  roots  of  esculent  production 
that  have  deteriorated  in  the  course  of  time.  Millions 
of  acres  are  silently  waiting  for  the  plow  to  come  and 
bring  forth  immense  harvests  of  grain !  And  I  can  not 
resist  the  conviction  that  the  timber  was  removed  from 
the  land  now  forming  these  immense  prairies  by  a  race 


THEORY    OF   THE   PAST.  25 

of  agricultural  antediluvians,  or  an  industrious  and,  per- 
haps, civilized  nation  existing  and  extinguished  since 
the  flood !  The  surface  of  Minnesota  is  found  by  set- 
tlers precisely  in  the  shape  and  condition  that  the  culti- 
vated farms  of-  the  East  might  be  thousands  of  years 
hence,  if  the  inhabitants  were  to  leave  them  now.  Long- 
continued  decay  would  remove  every  vestige  of  houses, 
barns,  fences  and  walls.  All  the  improvements  would 
crumble  to  dust  and  totally  disappear.  But  after  an 
agricultural  pulverization  of  the  earth  for  years  and 
years,  the  fields  would  remain  cleared  of  timber  to  the 
end  of  time.  With  an  annual  decomposition  of  spon- 
taneous crops  perpetually  increasing  the  fertility  of  the 
soil,  in  the  course  of  incalculable  time,  abandoned  farms 
would  become  quite  as  rich  as  the  land  of  Minnesota. 

So  far  as  I  have  seen,  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  correct- 
ness of  this  theory.  I  am  aware  that  some  great  schol- 
ars will  sneer  at  my  deplorable  ignorance  of  the  learning 
which  they  pride  themselves  in.  Yet  the  conclusion 
here  stated,  is  happily  established  in  my  humble  mind, 
and  I  record  it  without  any  fear  of  unanswerable  contra- 
diction. 

But,  hark!  The  stillness  in  yonder  thicket  is  dis- 
turbed by  a  voice  of  complaint.  A  melancholy  owl 
gives  vent  to  his  feeling  by  an  occasional  utterance  that 
is  very  unpleasant  to  my  ear.  And  in  the  distance, 
other  birds  of  the  same  feather,  and  eyes,  are  amusing 
themselves  with  similarly  unmelodious  sounds.  Then 
from  the  pine  tree-top,  high  above  my  head,  there  comes 
a  breathing  of  sorrow ! 

In  the  sobbing  of  the  wind, 

Methinks  I  can  hear  the  deep  sigh 

Of  some  lost  spirit  who  can  find 
No  place  of  rest  up  in  the  sky  I 


26 


A    SENTINEL    OF   TIME. 


There  is  something  about  this  solitary  tree  that  makes 
me  sad.  I  can  not  help  thinking  how  long  it  has  been 
standing  sentinel  here,  cruelly  neglected  by  the  living 
world.  And  were  I  of  that  persuasion  who  believe  in 
the  transmigration  of  souls,  I  might  imagine  that  it  had 
been  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  a  departed  mortal — per- 
haps one  of  that  extinct  race  who  lived  here  and  culti- 
vated  these  great  prairie  fields  long  before  even  the  red 
man  claimed  them  for  his  hunting  grounds.  And  when 
my  musings  wander  into  a  mystic  vein,  it  is  quite  easy 
for  me  to  interpret  that  weird  voice  of  sadness  up  there 
among  those  ever-green  boughs,  as  articulated  grjef 
which  has  not  been  answered  since  the  hour  when  its 
last  kindred  spirit  fled ! 


A  Rolling  Prairie,  iu  Dakota  Laud. 


CHAPTER    II. 


ALADDIN'S  magic  lamp  produced 
upon  the  instant  all  that  his  capri- 
cious fancy  might  suggest.  But 
Aladdin  and  his  wonderful  lamp 
existed  only  in  story.  No  magic 
arts,  nor  charms,  nor  incantations 
ever  built  a  city  where  mankind 
could  live.  And  that  "  God  made 
the  country,  leaving  men  to  build 
the  towns,"  is  a  significant  allu- 
sion submitted  to  infant  minds  at 
school. 

In  the  usual  course  of  progress,  it  requires  considera- 
ble time  to  build  a  town  of  only  moderate  size.  Many 
towns  have  been  building  ever  since  architecture  was 
known  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  a  majority 
of  them  are  not  completed  yet.  Settlements  are  fre- 
quently made  and  towns  begun  in  a  rude  wooden  style, 
which  never  rise  beyond  the  dignity  of  their  beginning. 
Numerous  cities  have  been  founded  in  eligible  situations 
and  elaborately  mapped  out  upon  paper  with  prodigious 
expectation.  Some  of  those  paper  cities  continue  to 
exist  only  in  imagination,  or  with  a  melancholy  display 
of  failure  evident  at  every  door. 


28  A    SHRINE    OF   LIFE. 

And  before  visiting  St.  Paul  I  amused  myself  with 
catechetical  exercises  of  mind  as  to  a  repetition  of  sights 
previously  seen.  Hearsay  indicated  perfection  ;  but  ex- 
perience has  taught  nie  not  to  rely  upon  all  that  I  am 
told — while  different  people  see  the  same  object  and 
regard  the  same  subject  in  various  lights  according  to 
the  prejudice  of  their  minds  or  in  conformity  with  the 
pecuniary  interests  they  may  have  in  view. 

Invalids  came  hither  to  regain  their  health.  I  was 
well  aware  of  that.  Many  of  them  found  what  they 
sought.  Some  were  doomed  to  die !  A  few  continued 
to  reside  here  after  the  recovery  of  their  health,  and  a 
majority  of  them  accumulated  riches  in  addition  to  their 
worldly  store.  A  number  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of 
St.  Paul  came  to  Minnesota  with  scarcely  a  dollar  left  in 
their  pockets,  after  distinguished  physicians  had  made 
significant  allusion  to  the  certainty  of  a  premature 
grave.  I  heard  all  that  some  time  ago.  But  seeing  is 
believing ;  and  I  am  now  convinced  beyond  a  doubt. 
The  history  of  St.  Paul  could  not  be  written  without 
including  innumerable  instances  of  regained  health  and 
acquired  wealth. 

Devout  pilgrims  journey  to  Mecca  for  the  salvation 
of  their  souls,  to  be  made  certain  by  prostrating  their 
weary  bodies  near  Mohammed's  tomb.  That  is  a  pious 
delusion  in  Arab-land — while  here  the  sick  and  the 
needy  are  sure  to  find  redemption  from  disease  and 
want  by  breathing  the  atmosphei-e  and  participating  in 
the  rare  advantages  peculiar  to  this  beneficent  shrine  of 
life! 

Two  hundred  years  ago,  a  couple  of  Canadian  voy- 
ageurs  paddled  Father  Ilennipin's  canoe  up  the  Missis- 
sippi River.  Near  Lake  Pepin  the  Indians  captured 
him  and  his  men.  They  confiscated  his  goods  and 


CAVERN    OF    WAKAN-TEBEE.  29 

smashed  the  fragile  Lark  in  which  he  came.  And  then 
lie  was  taken  to  lodge  near  the  "  Lake  of  Tears,"  so 
called  because  Aquipaguatin,  the  chief,  wept  half  the 
night  and  finally  compelled  one  of  his  own  sons  to  par- 
ticipate in  that  recreation  until  morning. 

Nearly  a  hundred  years  later,  a  venturesome  Yankee 
trader,  known  as  Captain  Carver,  also  came  up  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  in  a  canoe.  Carver  was  the  first  white 
man  to  discover  that  mysterious  subterranean  council- 
chamber,  or  incantation  hall,  which  the  Indians  called 
Wakan-tebee.  The  unexplored  magnitude  of  that  won- 
derful cavern  was  then  said  to  contain  a  curious  lake  of 
transparent  water  and  a  fathomless  abyss.  It  is  under 
Dayton's  Bluff,  just  beyond  Trout  Brook,  a  lively 
stream,  fed  by  perpetual  springs  and  gurgling  amid  the 
railroad  improvements  in  the  lower  suburbs  of  St.  Paul. 

When  Father  Galtier,  a  missionary  from  the  Catholic 
diocese  of  Dubuque,  passed  this  spot,  on  his  way  to 
Fort  Snelling,  in  April  of  the  year  1840,  he  saw  only  a 
solitary  log-cabin  upon  the  site  where  the  bright  new 
city  of  so  many  thousand  inhabitants  now  stands  be- 
yond the  river  there  with  its  gas-lights  gleaming  in  the 
darkness  of  night. 

Soon  after  then,  a  number  of  families  from  Red  River 
built  their  shanties  near  the  solitary  cabin;  and  the 
priest  erected  a  log-house  in  which  they  might  worship 
God.  Fancying  the  need  of  a  powerful  protector,  he 
named  the  new  church  "St.  Paul,"  after  his  patron 
model  of  patience  and  courage.  And  then  he  desii'ed 
that  the  settlement  should  take  the  same  name. 

But  a  very  baneful  influence  was  retarding  the 
happy  results  labored  for  by  the  priest.  Two  great 
spirits  were  at  war  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  new  St. 
Paul's  Church.  While  Galtier  solicited  salvation  for 


30  A   TEMPLE    OF    RUIN. 

the  souls  around  him,  the  inspiration  of  a  fiend  caused 
his  labors  to  be  treated  with  scorn — and  he  found  his 
field  a  hard  one  to  till. 

One  Pierre  Parrant,  who  was  in  the  service  of  the 
fiend,  opened  a  temple  for  his  followers  to  worship  in. 
Parrant  was  a  Canadian  voyageur,  who  acquired  some 
notoriety  from  a  facial  deformity  not  very  dissimilar  to 
that  of  Caliban.  Many  people  believed  that  he  had 
but  one  eye.  That  was  a  mistake.  He  had  two  eyes. 
But  the  singularity  of  defect  in  his  optical  expression 
was  so  swinish,  that  even  the  Indians  as  well  as  the 
whites,  unanimously  bestowed  upon  him  the  derisive 
title  of  "  Pig's  Eye."  Yet  he  cared  not  for  that  so  long 
as  they  were  his  deluded  slaves.  He  had  a  miserly 
heart,  and  loved  nothing  better  than  gold. 

Parrant's  temple  became  a  popular  resort.  There 
was  no  sign  over  the  door,  nor  any  emblem  of  Deity  or 
God  to  be  seen  upon  the  outside  of  the  temple ;  and  yet 
it  was  thronged  with  Dakotas  and  pale-faces  who 
thirsted  for  minne-wakan — which  is  called  "  whisky"  in 
our  less  poetical  vernacular  idiom.  Parrant  was  a 
frontier  rum-seller.  No  excise  law  could  reach  his  jugs, 
his  kegs,  or  his  barrels.  Business  was  lively  in  his 
groggery.  It  was  lively  during  the  day,  and  more 
than  lively  at  night. 

"  Injun  love  rum !"  I  heard  a  Chippeway  chief  boast- 
ing that.  And  he  added,  "  Injun's  father  love  minne- 
wakan  great  many  moons  ago !" 

The  Dakotas,  couriers  de  bois,  voyageurs,  bois  brule,  and 
degraded  adventurers  hanging  around,  soon  elevated 
Parrant  to  the  exalted  position  of  chief  liquor  merchant 
in  the  place.  Numerous  other  white  skins,  with  heart- 
feelings  figuratively  darker  than  the  color  of  their 
mangy  hides,  also  established  groggeries  hard  by.  But 


PIG'S    EYE    PANDEMONIUM.  31 

none  of  them  were  patronized  so  liberally  as  Parrant. 
And  indeed,  if  the  recollection  of  my  informant  is  cor- 
rect, all  the  merchants  who  first  opened  stores  in  the^ 
settlement,  sold  as  much  whisky  as  they  could. 

I  may  say  that  whisky  formed  a  great  part  of  the 
early  history  of  St.  Paul ;  and  for  some  years  after,  the 
place  was  spoken  of  only  as  "  Pig's  Eye,"  in  honor  of 
Parrant,  the  rum-fiend,  rather  than  "  St.  Paul,"  out  of 
respect  to  the  church  there  of  that  name.  And  the 
small  flock  who  availed  themselves  of  pastoral  teaching 
were  almost  hourly  shocked  by  the  terrible  doings 
among  the  groggeries  down  near  the  water's  edge. 

The  drunken  Indian  hordes,  and  the  inebriate  white 
men,  went  on  carousing,  until  their  own  conduct  threat- 
ened to  exterminate  them  all  together.  Their  orgies 
were  frightful !  They  must  get  drunk.  And  Parrant 
and  his  brothers  in  evil  were  eager  to  drench  them  with 
liquid  ruin ! 

Dakotas  then  called  St.  Paul  the  "  place  where  Injun 
get  minne-wakan !"  Some  would  tramp  hundreds  of 
miles,  in  the  worst  of  weather,  to  procure  a  keg  full  of 
the  fire-water,  so  delicious  to  them.  Without  ininne- 
wakan  they  were  unhappy,  and  with  it  they  were  dan- 
gerously savage.  If  possible,  they  would  be  drunk 
months  at  a  time — and,  in  all  probability,  until  death 
terminated  their  existence  entirely,  if  the  liquor  held 
out  to  the  end.  They  would  have  minne-wakan ;  and 
to  obtain  it,  barter  away  the  very  garments  they  wore — 
just  as  the  miserable  drunken  creatures  in  some  dismal 
precincts  of  New  York  are  doing  now  while  I  am  tra- 
cing these  lines. 

"  Big  Injun  need  much  minne-wakan.  Made  to  drink  ! 
Must  have  him  now !"  And  as  every  Dakota  fancied 
himself  big,  each  one  drank  all  he  could  get. 


POISON    FOB   THE    ABORIGINE.  33 

Savages,  when  sober,  must  necessarily  become  de- 
mons under  the  inspiration  of  intoxicating  drink.  Pure 
whisky  would  have  been  bad  enough  for  them  to  swal- 
low. But  Parrant  and  his  colleagues  in  crime  did  not 
always  sell  even  an  inferior  grade  of  that.  Intent  only 
upon  enriching  themselves  at  all  hazards,  the  traffickers 
in  ruin  sold  the  ignorant  red  men  a  horrible  liquid, 
which,  by  its  virulent  concitation  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane, inflamed  all  their  passions. 

Into  an  ordinary  barrel  of  thirty-two  gallons  capacity 
they  placed  at  least  a  bushel  of  rank  "black-twist" 
chewing  tobacco,  three  or  four  gallons  of  bad  whisky, 
and  a  quantity  of  raw  vitriol,  with  river  water  sufficient 
to  fill  the  cask !  After  standing  some  time  the  destruc- 
tive fluid  was  served  out  to  thirsty  Dakotas,  who  almost 
immediately  demanded  dram  after  dram  to  satisfy  those 
cravings  produced  by  the  inflammatory  corrosion  at 
work  upon  their  intestines  and  organs  of  digestion ! 
And  I  might  add  that  this  "  Injun  whisky"  is  still  sold 
to  the  aborigines  wherever  they  are  found. 

I  once  heard  of  an  old  toper  who  abandoned  rum  and 
took  to  camphene  a  short  time  before  he  murdered  his 
wife  and  children  !  But  the  juice  of  rank  tobacco,  tinc- 
tured with  any  ingredient  like  vitriol,  is  unquestionably 
worse  than  burning  fluids  of  ordinary  kind. 

Parrant  poured  out  the  poison  and  clutched  his  pay 
with  an  exulting  smile !  He  sneered  at  the  entreaties  of 
the  poor  man's  wife,  and  made  no  reply  to  the  pursua- 
sion  of  those  who  feared  the  danger  that  was  brewing  ! 
And  the  wretched  inebriates  rolled  out  of  his  shanty 
into  the  mire,  when  they  could  find  that  soft  and  agree- 
able material  to  lie  in. 

And  then  they  quarreled  and  fought !  They  bit  off 
noses,  broke  craniums,  dislocated  spines,  gouged  out 


34  INCANTATION    OF   THE   FIENDS. 

eyes  and  disemboweled  each  other  with  knives !  They 
went  raving  mad,  and  killed  each  other  with  guns,  bil- 
lets of  wood,  stones  and  axes,  and  burned  each  other 
with  bundles  of  blazing  straw,  and  drowned  themselves 
or  their  opponents  in  the  river !  They  died  from  sui-. 
cide,  from  freezing,  and  in  all  manner  of  ways  ! 

The  Furies,  the  Eumenides,  Medusa,  and  all  the  mon- 
sters of  history  or  fiction,  were  eclipsed  in  the  frightful 
exhibitions  produced  by  inebriated  men  and  women ! 
The  hell  of  Virgil  and  of  Dante  was  not  more  impress- 
ive than  that  created  by  ferocious  passions,  boiling 
with  hatred,  jealousy,  old  quarrels,  and  deadly  antip- 
athies in  full  blast !  Shrieks  from  women  and  children, 
mingled  with  the  yells  of  demons,  and  the  howling  of 
terrified  dogs,  added  the  terrors  of  hearing  to  the  appal- 
ling sights  enacted  in  "  Pig's-Eye  Pandemonium !"  And 
it  required  the  strenuous  co-operation  of  the  "people" 
to  abate  the  "increasing  cause"  of  alarm.  Finally,  re- 
spectable merchants  began  to  arrive  and  erect  stores, 
and  a  number  of  wealthy  strangers  were  looking  around 
for  pleasant  places. 

And  yet  the  whisky  traffic  continued  until  "Little 
Crow,"  chief  of  the  Lightfoot  band,  who  occupied  the 
Indian  village  of  Kaposia,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  some  miles  below,  was  shot  by  his  own  brother 
while  in  an  inebriated  condition.  The  chief  did  not  die, 
but  he  began  to  foresee  the  terrible  danger  that  threat- 
ened himself  and  his  people,  and  thereupon  solicited  the 
mediation  of  the  Indian  agent  stationed  at  Fort  Snel- 
ling,  which  resulted  in  establishing  a  school ! 

And  one  dark,  rainy  Sunday  morning  in  July,  1847, 
the  first  school  in  Minnesota  was  opened  by  Miss  Har- 
riet E.  Bishop,  a  young  lady  of  Eastern  origin,  who 
seemed  to  have  been  born  purposely  and  educated  ex- 


THE    DAWN    OF   LIGHT.  35 

pressly  for  the  trying  and  thankless  Vocation  of  intel- 
lectual and  moral  preceptress.  She  migrated  nearly 
two  thousand  miles  from  her  native  home,  with  the  in- 
tention of  devoting  herself  to  the  task  of  enlightening 
the  red-skin  papooses  of  the  wild  Dakota,  and  also  teach- 
ing the  progeny  of  the  pale-face  who  shied  away  from 
the  approach  of  civilization,  as  well  as  instructing  the 
children  of  Christians  seeking  a  habitation  in  what 
then  appeared  to  be  an  unreclaimed  earthly  elysium. 
She  "  opened  to  a  slim  house,"  in  a  little  log  hovel  cov- 
ered with  bark  and  chinked  with  mud,  and  previously 
used  as  a  blacksmith  shop.  One  apartment,  ten  by 
twelve  feet  square,  with  pegs  driven  into  the  logs  on 
three  sides  to  support  board  seats.  Another  seat  was 
made  by  placing  one  end  of  a  plank  in  a  crack  between 
the  logs  and  then  on  a  chair.  This  was  for  visitors.  A 
rickety  cross-legged  table  in  the  centre,  and  a  "  hen's 
nest  in  one  corner,"  completed  the  "  fixtures  and  good- 
will." 

Seven  scholars  came — three  whites  and  four  half- 
breeds,  with  a  half-breed  female  visitor.  One  half-breed 
acted  as  interpreter.  Thus,  Miss  Bishop  not  only  estab- 
lished the  first  Sunday  school  in  Minnesota,  but  she  sus- 
tained it  for  at  least  one  year  without  any  assistance. 
And  from  that  rude  hovel  of  simple  tuition,  since  then 
have  nucleated  countless  school  edifices  which  even  sur- 
pass those  of  the  older  States.  A  bright  future  was 
dawning  there. 

The  vulgar  appellation  of  "  Pig's  Eye  "  grew  intoler- 
ably odious  to  the  ears  of  the  better  class  of  new-comers, 
and  even  the  Dakotas  were  learning  to  grunt  Sip-all  in- 
stead of  Im-in-i-jas-ka,  which  in  their  language  signifies 
white  rock.  They  had  always  called  the  place  so  because 
of  the  white,  sugar-like  color  of  a  singularly  beautiful 


FINDING    A   "LOST   KEY."  37 

sandstone  which  lies  beneath  the  top  stratum  of  grayish 
rock  forming  the  bluif  upon  which  the  city  now  stands. 

But  one  night  Parrant  mysteriously  disappeared, 
and  none  of  his  patrons  could  tell  why  he  did  not 
return.  Some  said  he  had  made  money  enough,  and 
wanted  to  find  a  place  for  the  enjoyment  of  his  wealth. 
Others  contended  that  he  went  away  quite  poor.  Many 
questions  were  asked  which  none  could  answer. 

Very  few  cared  to  know  why  he  went,  and  some 
were  glad  that  he  had  really  gone.  Singular  as  it  may 
seem,  he  had  no  enemies.  All  sober  or  pious  people 
disliked  him  because  of  his  nefarious  traffic,  but  in  other 
respects  he  escaped  personal  malice.  In  short,  he  loved 
no  one,  and  no  one  loved  him.  His  acquaintances  only 
knew  that  he  had  gone.  How  he  went  and  where  his 
destination  might  be,  never  transpired  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  pale-faces  whom  he  left  behind.  And  until  they 
read  this  volume,  the  people  of  St.  Paul  can  not  tell 
what  became  of  old  Parrant.  For  now  that  nearly 
twenty-five  years  have  elapsed  since  his  mysterious  de- 
parture, it  remains  for  me  to  disclose  his  singular  fate ! 

By  the  merest  chance  one  day  I  trod  upon  a  "  Lost 
Key."  I  always  pick  up  whatever  I  am  lucky  enough 
to  find ;  and  perhaps  my  readers  would  laugh  to  see  me 
in  the  humble  attitude  of  search  for  a  pin  in  the  carpet 
or  on  the  floor.  However,  that  key  unlocked  the  mys- 
tery so  long  concealing  Pan-ant's  grave ! 

But  what  terrible  noise  is  that  I  hear  ?  It  is  like  the 
rumbling  of  far-off  thunder,  coming  nearer  at  every 
growl !  Now  a  wild  scream  startles  the  hooting  owl, 
and  it  flutters  to  another  bush.  Louder  roars  the  noise, 
and  then  a  double  scream,  piercing  enough  to  rouse  the 
ancient  dead  who  lie  in  dust  upon  these  hills ! 

Hah  !    It  is  the  wild  neighing  of  an  "  iron-horse  "  and 


39  KOUSIXG   THE   DEAD! 

the  roar  of  a  train  of  cars  upon  the  track  of  the  Mil- 
waukee, St.  Paul,  and  Minneapolis  Railway,  bringing 
the  Eastern  passengers  and  mail.  Nearer  comes  the 
noise.  The  train  is  dashing  down  from  Mendota  Junc- 
tion, and  will  presently  arrive  at  its  final  destination, 
opposite  the  city. 

Before  the  sun  went  down,  I  noticed  that  the  depot 
in  the  distance  was  plainly  seen  from  this  lofty  cliff — 
while  now,  in  the  feeble  starlight,  I  can  only  imagine 
the  arrival  of  the  train.  But  presently  I  see  the  lan- 
terns darting  around  and  bobbing  up  and  down,  and 
fancy  an  undiscerned  multitude  of  people,  all  travel- 
worn  and  eagerly  impatient  for  their  suppers. 

But  the  iron  horse  is  puffing  and  snorting  again. 
Perhaps  he,  too,  is  impatient  to  enter  his  smoky  stable 
and  enjoy  a  night  of  repose.  And  by  the  dispersion  of 
the  flitting  lights,  I  presume  that  the  omnibuses,  the 
baggage  wagons,  the  carriages  and  the  pedestrians  are 
now  ascending  the  great  inclined  bridge  to  the  pave- 
ments of  the  city. 

There!  They  have  all  gone,  and  quietude  prevails 
once  more  upon  this  side  of  the  river. 

The  sky  is  deeply  blue  and  serenely  clear.  Like  soli- 
taire diamonds  of  colossal  magnitude  set  in  a  sapphire 
ground,  the  planets  fairly  blaze,  and  the  little  orbs  of 
borrowed  light  intensely  shine.  I  am  not  addicted  to 
star  gazing,  but  the  entire  firmament  has  unusual  attrac- 
tions for  me  to-night.  Surely  I  never  saw  so  many 
celestial  luminaries  at  one  time  before. 

Venus  is  my  favorite  among  the  stars.  I  remember 
asking  questions  about  her  when  a  very  small  child. 
Somebody  then  told  me  that  the  "Evening  Star"  was 
the  beautiful  eye  of  the  "  Angel  of  Love !"  The  same 
person  had  previously  impressed  upon  my  infantile 


CONSULTING   THE    STAKS.  39 

mind  that  the  Sun  was  the  "  Eye  of  God !"  And  I  also 
remember  how  I  hid  myself  one  day  in  a  dark  cellar,  so 
that  "  God's  Eye "  could  not  see  me  while  devouring  a 
nice  mince-pie  which  I  had  been  tempted  to  purloin 
from  the  pantry  in  the  house  of  my  aunt.  And  then, 
when  the  pie  was  all  eaten,  I  went  out  and  skulked 
beneath  the  arbor  vita  bushes  and  the  Norwegian  pines 
that  decorated  the  lawn — a  miserable,  trembling  thief — 
with  a  penitent  resolve  never  to  steal  any  more  pies ! 

But  what  is  Jupiter  now  doing  so  near  the  "  Angel  of 
Love  ?"  I  never  saw  him  in  such  close  proximity  to 
Venus  before.  I  wonder  if  the  astronomers  will  note 
this  fact  ?  It  is  certainly  a  rare  phenomenon.  The  old 
fellow  has  gone  away  down  into  the  southwestern  hori- 
zon to  meet  her  there.  And  he  must  have  left  one  of 
his  satellites  behind,  for  I  can  perceive  only  three 
attending  him  now.  Oh,  if  I  had  a  powerful  telescope 
in  my  hands,  what  a  treat  it  would  be  to  look  at  them 
while  thus  so  near  together !  So  near,  did  I  say  ?  I  had 
forgotten  that  they  are  yet  millions  of  miles  apart ! 

How  wonderful  are  the  works  of  nature — the  crea- 
tions of  Almighty  God ! 

Learned  astronomers  tell  us  that  we  can  not  see 
more  than  a  thousand  stars  in  the  clearest  atmosphere, 
although  from  the  first  to  the  sixth  magnitude  inclusive, 
there  are  precisely  three  thousand  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  actually  visible  to  mundane  eyes.  How 
exactly  the  science  of  astronomy  can  estimate  numbers 
and  size !  And  then,  besides  the  visible  stars,  there  are 
countless  millions  that  shine  throughout  infinite  space 
beyond  the  reach  of  mortal  vision. 

It  is  also  said  that  those  orbs  of  light  emit  a  vast 
amount  of  warmth  for  the  benefit  of  the  planet  upon 
which  we  live.  Without  their  assistance  the  heat  of  the 


40 


WOXDKRS    OF   THE    SKY. 


sun  would  not  be  sufficient  to  sustain  either  vegetable 

O 

or  animal  life  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth.  And  if  we 
credit  the  assertion  of  Pouillet,  who  has  formed  an 
ocular  acquaintance  with  all  the  heavenly  bodies,  the 
heat  furnished  by  the  stars  during  a  single  year  would 
be  enough  to  melt  a  crust  of  ice  seventy-five  feet  thick ! 
But  the  pretty  stars  do  not  deter  me  from  thinking 
of  the  past — and  my  mind  again  reverts  to  this  sphere 
of  human  life.  And  here  I  will  present  a  likeness  of 
"  Little  Crow,"  the  chief  whose  misfortune  resulted  in 
the  dawn  of  light ! 


Tah-o-a-(loo  ta ;  or  '•  Lit  lie  Crow." 


CHAPTEE    III. 


A  LONG  train  of  lied  River  "  Ox- 
carts "  came  down  to  Mendota  in 
the  summer  of  1845.  And  accom- 
panying the  train  were  six  individu- 
als, actuated  by  counter  designs. 
Three  of  them  were  females — the 
other  three  men.  But  before  re- 
vealing their  intentions,  I  will  men- 
tally review  the  early  history  of  the 
"pale-face  encroachments"  in  the 
Red  River  region. 

I  think  it  was  Prince  Rupert 
who  oi>:ained  a  charter  from  Charles  II.,  about  two 
hundred  years  ago,  covering  the  "rights  of  territory" 
bordering  upon  all  the  waters  flowing  into  Hudson  Bay. 
But  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  in  1714,  somewhat  divided  the 
operations  of  the  English  and  the  French,  who  had  both 
been  competing  for  the  fur  traffic  with  the  Indians.  The 
French  subsequently  turned  their  endeavors  more  par- 
ticularly in  the  direction  of  "  The  Lakes,"  the  Assine- 
boine  and  the  Saskatchewan  Rivers,  until  by  the  treaty 
of  Versailles,  they  were  compelled  to  retire  with  morti- 


42  AN    AMBITIOUS    EAEL. 

fication  and  disgust.  British  subjects  then  had  it  all 
their  own  way — and  in  1803,  a  wealthy  organization 
was  formed  to  establish  a  lucrative  trade  across  the  con- 
tinent, by  way  of  the  "  line  of  lakes,"  from  Montreal  to 
the  Pacific  Ocean. 

Then  followed  a  savage  contest  between  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  and  the  new  Association,  which  finally 
resulted  in  the  erection  of  a  fort  on  Red  River — and 
also  the  establishing  of  a  colony  by  "  Earl  Selkirk,  a 
Scotch  nobleman  of  high  rank  and  large  fortune  " — as 
the  flaming  prospectus  of  his  scheme  at  that  time  stated. 
But  the  ambitious  Earl  was  not  quite  as  successful  as  he 
anticipated.  And  yet  a  great  number  of  Europeans 
were  enticed  thither  by  false  representations.  Some  of 
the  emigrants  perished  with  hunger  and  cold ;  others 
escaped  as  best  they  could — and  if  they  survived  the 
hardships  of  a  journey  to  the  more  hospitable  settle- 
ments of  "  Brother  Jonathan  Pioneers,"  their  future  was 
generally  made  comfortable  with  realized  hope  and 
plenty. 

Notwithstanding  the  sad  fate  of  so  many  victims,  the 
colony  grew,  and  it  became  the  chief  source  of  agricul- 
tural supplies  for  the  numerous  trappers  and  traders 
employed  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  The  few  hund- 
red survivors  made  concubines  of  the  Indian  squaws, 
and  with  continual  accessions  of  Irish  and  Scotch,  the 
population  went  on  increasing,  until  it  now  includes 
some  ten  thousand.  Part  of  them  are  British  Protest- 
ants, and  part  half-breed  French  of  the  Catholic  feith — 
while  many  of  them  have  no  religion  at  all ! 

Selkirk  Colony,  with  its  ten  thousand  or  more  inhab- 
itants, is  perhaps  the  most  curiously  arranged  settle- 
ment in  the  world.  It  consists  of  "  strip-divided"  farms, 
each  having  a  narrow  frontage  of  only  six  chains  upon 


IN   THE    NORTHERN    WILDS.  43 

the  banks  of  the  Red  River  and  Assineboine — thus 
extending  for  nearly  a  hundred  miles !  And  those  men 
who  are  pecuniarily  interested  in  the  fur  trade,  have 
good  reasons  for  jealously  guarding  that  wonderful  El 
Dorado,  which  is  almost  entirely  unknown  to  the  more 
civilized  people  of  the  "  outer"  world. 

But  I  may  add  that  the  British  Government  is  now 
taking  possession  of  the  entire  domain  hitherto  con- 
trolled by  and  belonging  to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company. 
This  is  of  some  importance  to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  who  have  recently  acquired  such  a  vast  territory 
beyond  there.  The  fur-trading  grant  covers  an  area 
of  more  than  two  millions  of  square  miles,  lying  east 
and  west  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, and  north  and  south  from  the  Arctic  Ocean  to 
Canada,  and  is  intersected  in  every  part  by  large  rivers. 
A  great  portion  of  it  abounds  in  agricultural  and  min- 
eral wealth,  and  means  of  communication  with  the 
United  States  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean  may  be  easily 
established  at  every  point  by  its  numerous  lakes  and 
streams.  The  cession  of  this  territory  to  the  British 
Crown  means  the  establishment  of  a  regularly  organized 
government  there  instead  of  the  domination  of  a  few 
trappers,  who  of  course  are  only  concerned  about  their 
own  private  interests,  and  therefore  have  made  no  at- 
tempt to  develop  the  immense  resources  of  their  posses- 
sions. Whatever  may  -be  the  ultimate  disposition  of 
the  territory,  the  people  of  the  United  States  should  be 
interested  and  gratified  in  its  development  and  eventual 
civilization. 

In  its  early  existence,  many  ladies  of  refinement  and 
education  were  taken  to  the  Colony.  Some  of  them  are 
said  to  have  been  quite  beautiful.  But  the  most  charm- 
ing was  the  wife  of  a  gentleman  having  a  consanguinity 


"  MORGANATIC      TIES.  45 

with  the  Earl.  Her  husband  had  been  sent  out  as  an 
agent  to  look  after  the  interests  of  his  noble  relation, 
and  he  took  her  with  him.  She  was  also  accompanied 
by  her  daughter  Leonore,  and  her  aged  mother,  who 
was  called  Zorah.  A  name  similar  to  that  of  her  hus- 
band may  be  seen  in  the  recently  published  business 
directory  of  St.  Paul. 

Madame  Zorah,  the  wife's  mother,  was  of  Scotch  birth. 
But  she  spent  the  best  part  of  her  youth  in  the  gay  city 
of  Paris,  where  her  beauty  attracted  the  notice  of  the 
old  Marquis  Dupontavisse.  She  became  the  wife  of  the 
Marquis  according  to  the  rites  of  "morganatic"  mar- 
riage— a  popular  institution  among  European  noblemen 
who  find  it  inconvenient  to  assume  the  responsibility  of 
"  cherishing"  a  beloved  or  an  admired  "object"  for  life. 
While  her  noble  morganatic  husband  continued  alive, 
he  denied  her  nothing.  But  when  he  died,  she  had  no 
further  claims  upon  his  estate.  For  awhile  she  sub- 
sisted upon  the  fragments  of  her  lost  position. 

But  as  beauty  fades  from  the  cheek,  so  vanish  the 
charms  of  many  a  belle  who  foolishly  imagines  that  her 
powers  of  fascination  will  endure  to  the  end  of  existence 
— and  the  morganatic  widow  of  the  deceased  Marquis 
eventually  found  herself  nearly  destitute  in  the  beauti- 
ful city  of  pleasure  and  the  frightful  city  of  want.  And 
then  she  wept  in  anxiety,  how  she  might  also  provide 
for  the  maintenance  of  her  young  daughter. 

Trouble,  misfortune,  sickness — a  thousand  asperities, 
were  not  long  in  changing  her  appearance,  so  that  nearly 
all  the  acquaintances  of  her  youth  and  prosperity  turned 
their  eyes  away.  Her  effeminate  face  and  graceful  person 
were  gradually  transformed  into  a  masculine  exterior, 
and  finally  she  was  bereft  of  every  charm  that  might 
inspire  love.  The  multitude  coldly  passed  her  by,  and 


46  HISTORY    OF   A   LIFE. 

scarcely  a  smile  encouraged  her  to  live.  Yet  she  was 
not  of  that  desponding  nature  which  seeks  to  end  its 
sorrow  in  death.  Suicide  did  not  enter  her  mind  then. 
She  would  rather  fight  than  die.  If  her  fellow-mortals 
jostled  her  rudely,  she  could  try  to  jostle  them  in  return. 
When  fair  means  did  not  avail,  other  plans  might  suc- 
ceed. At  all  events,  she  existed  through  the  variations 
of  sorrow  that  is  unavoidable  to  her  class  and  position, 
with  at  least  one  pure  and  holy  feeling  ever  actuating 
the  best  impulses  of  her  heart — and  that  was  entwined 
around  her  child,  whom  she  loved  with  almost  an  idola- 
trous devotion. 

Circumstances  induced  her  removal  to  London,  where, 
through  the  patronage  of  a  wealthy  family,  her  child 
was  not  only  reared  and  educated,  but  afterward  ad- 
mitted into  society  as  an  accomplished  and  beautiful 
lady.  And  almost  the  first  thing  she  did  was  to  fall  in 
love  with  and  marry  a  young  exile  from  France.  Soon 
after  marriage,  her  husband  ventured  back  to  his  native 
country,  and  there  he  died ! 

The  Marquis  Dupontavisse  left  two  grandsons  whom 
Zorah  had  never  seen.  And,  unknown  to  her,  one  of 
those  grandsons  actually  married  her  daughter — who, 
according  to  the  denomination  of  consanguinity,  thus 
became  the  wife  of  her  nephew  !  But  the  singular  cir- 
cumstance was  not  revealed  for  many  years  after.  The 
fruit  of  that  unnatural  alliance  was  a  daughter. 

It  seemed  useless  to  expect  anything  from  her  hus- 
band's estate — for,  in  the  fashion  of  noble  exiles,  he  had 
even  concealed  his  proper  name  and  title.  There  was 
no  clue  to  aid  her  in  establishing  the  just  claims  of  a 
widow,  and  she  finally  married  again. 

She  resided  with  her  second  husband  for  some  time 
in  Quebec,  Canada.  Eventually  he  became  the  Earl's 


THE    FAIR   ADVENTURESS.  47 

agent  to  the  Red  River  Colony,  and  she  accompanied 
him  thither.  Thus  her  daughter  Leonore  was  really  the 
grandchild  of  the  Marquis  Dupontavisse  by  a  double  line 
of  pedigree ! 

On  their  way  to  the  Colony,  they  were  joined  by  a 
lady  from  Montreal,  who  expressed  a  determination  to 
journey  thither  with  them.  The  Agent  was  rather 
pleased  to  have  her  society,  and  so  she  went  along. 

An  agreeable  traveling  companion  is  not  obnoxious 
at  all  times.  Her  name  was  Florinda.  But  she  said 
very  little  about  her  previous  history.  Whether  she 
had  been  married  or  always  single,  was  a  question  that 
she  left  unanswered,  for  her  new  acquaintances  to  solve 
if  they  could.  None  failed  to  recognize  her  accomplish- 
ments and  personal  charms. 

Madame  Zorah  did  not  like  her  any  too  well,  nor  did 
the  Agent's  wife.  However,  they  fraternized  with  tol- 
erable satisfaction  to  the  end  of  their  journey. 

Soon  after  their  arrival  at  the  Colony,  the  Agent  was 
recalled  to  Quebec — and  he  persisted  in  leaving  his  wife 
and  her  daughter,  Leonore,  to  the  care  of  Madame  Zorah. 
His  wife  begged  hard  to  accompany  him ;  but  replying 
that  he  would  return  in  a  short  time,  her  tears  and  en- 
treaties were  all  of  no  avail.  Cheerfully  she  would  have 
undergone  any  hardship  or  privation  rather  than  be 
separated  from  him  for  a  single  day.  It  was  love  and 
devotion  that  induced  her  to  brave  the  fatigue  and 
the  exposure  of  going  with  her  husband  from  the  com- 
forts of  a  city  residence  to  a  rude  wilderness  habitation 
in  the  centre  of  America,  and  surely  she  would  go  back 
with  him  if  he  consented.  But  he  positively  refused. 
She  must  remain  in  the  Colony  to  weep  until  his  return. 

She  wept  a  long  time.  Many  days  came  and  went 
without  even  an  affectionate  letter  to  cheer  her  drooping 


WIDOAVHOOD   AND    DESPAIR.  49 

heart.  Three  whole  months  passed  in  expectation,  and 
still  her  husband  did  not  return.  Numerous  strangers 
arrived,  but  none  brought  tidings  from  him. 

At  length  one  of  the  voyageurs  who  accompanied  her 
husband,  returned  to  say  that  he  was  drowned  in  Lake 
Superior.  She  then  determined  to  leave  the  wilderness 
without  further  delay.  Her  mother  askdff  how  that  was 
possible,  when  they  were  utterly  destitute  of  money. 
She  replied  that  she  would  borrow  money  of  the  fac tors ; 
for  they  were  her  husband's  friends.  And  she  did  try ; 
but  without  success.  Then  she  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
relations  in  Montreal. 

It  was  easy  enough  to  write,  but  an  answer  would  be 
a  long  time  coming.  She  wrote  six  letters — one  a 
month — in  succession,  without  getting  any  response. 
Then  she  wrote  the  seventh,  to  which  an  answer  promptly 
came.  But  instead  of  getting  consolation  and  relief, 
she  was  filled  with  deeper  anguish  by  a  curt  intimation 
that  the  benevolent  father  of  her  deceased  husband  could 
not  think  of  acknowledging  her  claims  of  relationship, 
for  reasons  Avhich  he  vaguely  named ! 

Such  a  letter  very  naturally  sent  her  to  bed  heart- 
sick and  nearly  bereft  of  reason.  And  while  her  mother 
and  her  daughter  did  all  they  could  to  cheer  and  com- 
fort her,  Florinda  showed  even  greater  solicitude  than 
previous  circumstances  might  seem  to  warrant.  And 
those  previous  circumstances  were  questionable  to  a 
great  extent. 

An  opulent  man  named  Tashae,  connected  with  the 
fur-trading  interests  of  that  region,  after  having  enjoyed 
quite  an  animated  flirtation  with  Florinda,  gave  unmis- 
takable signs  of  admiration  for  the  widow,  whose  hus- 
band had  very  evidently  gone  forever.  Indeed,  from 
the  conduct  of  Tashae,  it  was  evident  that  he  correctly 


5U  AVHAT   JEALOUSY    WILL   DO. 

surmised  or  really  knew  more  about  the  actual  position 
of  the  grief-stricken  widow  than  she  did  herself.  But 
his  sentimental  addresses  had  been  strictly  confined  to 
Florinda,  until  the  reported  death  of  the  husband  gave 
him  an  opportunity  for  transferring  them.  And  as  Flo- 
rinda and  the  widow  lodged  beneath  the  same  roof,  the 
former  was  qutok  to  perceive  a  decline  of  her  influence 
with  Tashae.  Then  she  watched  them  closely  in  and 
out  of  doors. 

Jealousy  does  not  always  exhibit  a  violent  demon- 
stration. In  some  hearts  there  lurks  a  subtile  deceit 
particularly  adapted  for  safe  concealment  of  the  direst 
purposes  of  revenge.  Hence  it  frequently  occurs  that 
an  innocent  victim  is  unconsciously  fettered  in  the  toils 
of  hate.  And  thus  for  some  time  Florinda  had  been  in- 
dustriously planning  evil.  Quite  probably  she  under- 
stood domestic  intrigue,  though  it  did  not  appear  cer- 
tain that  she  would  succeed  in  becoming  the  wife  of 
Tashae.  She  tried  hard  enough — and  it  was  a  very  laud- 
able intention  for  an  unprotected  woman ;  but  not  proper- 
ly appreciated  by  a  less  anxious  individual  of  the  oppo- 
site sex. 

The  "  green-eyed  monster "  has  ever  been  a  prime 
instigator  of  ruin  alike  to  the  evil  and  the  pure-minded 
believers  in  that  juvenile  god  who  does  so  much  mis- 
chief with  his  bow  and  arrows,  and  it  was  not  surprising 
that  Florinda  should  increase  her  malice  toward  the 
innocent  widow  in  proportion  to  the  growing  preference 
which  Tashae  made  no  effort  to  conceal. 

But  the  widow  cared  nothing  for  Tashae's  admiration. 
She  was  insensible  to  every  feeling  save  grief  for  the 
loss  of  her  husband,  and  distress  from  the  tone  of  that 
cruel  letter — and  therefore  did  not  perceive  the  alarming 
exigency  of  her  position.  Her  only  remaining  wish  was 


A  FUR-TRADER'S  LOVE.  51 

to  leave  the  Colony  forever.  Yet  she  could  not  accom- 
plish that  without  friends  or  money. 

Despair  knows  no  law  but  that  of  self-preservation ; 
and,  counting  upon  Tashae's  friendly  attentions,  the 
sorrowing  widow  reluctantly  solicited  him  to  loan  her 
sufficient  means  to  convey  herself,  her  daughter  and  her 
aged  mother,  to  any  locality  within  the  bounds  of  civil- 
ization, where  they  might  obtain  employment,  and 
thereby  earn  enough  to  repay  him  and  eventually  re- 
cross  the  ocean. 

Florinda  was  heartily  pleased  with  that  proposition. 
But  Tashae  did  not  intend  to  part  with  the  widow  yet. 
He  and  Florinda  had  different  opinions  regarding  the 
widow's  health.  Tashae  contended  that  she  would  not 
be  able  to  endure  the  fatigue  of  an  "  Ox-cart "  journey 
for  thirty  or  forty  days.  Florinda  declared  that  it 
would  completely  restore  her.  As  a  rival,  she  wished 
her  at  the  other  side  of  the  world — and  then  she  might 
have  the  field  all  to  herself. 

And  even  before  the  period  of  mourning  was  over, 
Tashae  asked  the  widow  to  become  his  wife.  He  would 
then  gratify  her  every  wish.  His  presumption  brought 
a  flat  refusal.  And  still  he  persisted.  Arguments  and 
persuasion  were  used  upon  one  side,  while  resentment 
or  scorn  was  hurled  from  the  other. 

Tashae  was  a  bold,  bad  man,  with  plenty  of  money ; 
and  he  disliked  to  be  baffled.  He  could  and  he  would 
do  whatever  he  pleased,  where  neither  religious  influ- 
ences, nor  courts,  nor  juries  compelled  a  strict  adherence 
to  moral  laws.  But  an  influence  which  he  could  not 
control  was  already  at  work. 

The  unhappy  widow  fell  sick,  and  Florinda  became  a 
very  attentive  nurse. 

Physicians  of  great  knowledge  or  skill  were  scarce  in 


THE   "  MEDICINE    MAN."  53 

the  Colony ;  and  Florinda  suggested  that  Kaskadino, 
a  half-breed,  who  had  some  reputation  as  a  "  medicine 
man,"  should  be  called  in  to  prescribe. 

The  medicaments  of  an  Indian  doctor  are  very  simple, 
and  precisely  those  used  by  Chiron  and  Esculapius,  in 
olden  time.  The  half-savage  physician  may  be  ignorant, 
but  I  have  read  that  when  Hippocrates  began  to  mix 
theories  with  medicine,  its  healing  powers  grew  less. 
And  while  some  sneer  at  the  mummery  of  the  "  medi- 
cine dance"  and  manipulative  pow-wows  of  the  savage, 
1  contend  that  such  imposture  is  not  a  tenth  as  bad 
as  the  frauds  of  sectarian  "  systems "  or  antagonistic 
"  schools"  of  materia  medica,  as  practiced  in  the  midst 
of  civilization.  The  Indians  know  of  certain  herbs  or 
roots  that  will  cure  almost  any  disease  they  are  liable 
to  contract;  and  with  all  their  unnecessary  juggling 
over  the  sick,  or  the  "  possessed,"  they  maltreat  and  kill 
fewer  than  do  our  pretending  qiiacks. 

But  Indian  doctors  are  sadly  ignorant  of  physiology. 
They  only  know  that  a  particular  remedy  is  generally 
efficacious  in  certain  diseases  or  injuries.  In  their  opin- 
ion, all  maladies  are  bilious ;  and  they  administer  either 
the  emetics  or  cathartics  of  their  humble  pharmaco- 
poeia. External  wounds  or  eruptions  are  speedily  cured. 
The  small-pox  is  an  exception.  Some  years  ago,  that 
horrible  disease  was  sent  among  them  by  goods  from 
Canada ;  and,  despite  all  their  remedies,  it  carried  off 
whole  bands ! 

A  "  medicine  man  "  is  supposed  to  possess  some  mys- 
terious influence  beyond  the  curative  power  of  the  phar- 
maceutical ingredients  that  he  may  compound.  The 
early  French  explorers  used  the  word  "medecin"  for 
doctor,  and  since  then  "  medicine "  has  signified  any- 
thing of  a  mysterious  meaning.  But  "  medicine  men  " 


54  A    HEARTLESS   XURSE. 

are  prophets  and  conjurers,  who  claim  to  perform  won- 
derful miracles  through  charms  and  incantations.  A 
sick  Indian  imagines  that  he  is  afflicted  by  the  spirit  of 
some  animal,  or,  more  likely,  by  the  spirit  of  an  enemy ; 
and  he  sends  a  horse  or  a  blanket  for  the  doctor  to  come 
and  turn  it  out.  The  messenger  is  stripped  to  run 
swiftly,  retaining  only  his  "  breech-cloth  "  and  carrying 
a  bell.  Entering  the  doctor's  teepee,  he  kicks  him  with 
his  foot  and  rings  the  bell.  Then  there  is  a  race  back 
to  the  sick  man's  lodge.  If  the  doctor  overtakes  the 
messenger  and  kicks  him  in*  return,  he  will  keep  his  fee 
and  stay  at  home  until  sent  for  again.  However,  Kas- 
kadino  was  not  summoned  in  that  way  to  attend  the 
widow. 

Florinda  had  already  agreed  with  the  rascal.  She 
not  only  suggested  his  services,  but  proceeded  to  act 
without  the  delay  of  consultation,  and  at  once  began  to 
administer  the  remedies  prepared  by  him. 

The  grandmother  and  the  daughter  were  too  intent 
upon  the  condition  of  their  loved  one,  raving  in  delirium 
upon  her  bed,  to  scrutinize  the  conduct  of  Kaskadino 
and  Florinda.  And  if  there  was  a  peculiar  look  of 
inquiry  in  the  face  of  the  latter  as  the  former  delivered 
his  potions,  it  escaped  observation ! 

Florinda  smoothed  the  pillow  for  the  sufferer's  head, 
bathed  her  temples  with  cold  water,  and  presented  the 
draughts  for  her  to  drink. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  wear  out  a  frail  remnant  of 
existence  with  fever  and  doubtful  remedies  given.  And 
not  even  the  neighbors  were  able  to  interpret  the 
strange  flashing  of  exultation  in  Florinda's  eye  as  she 
daily  witnessed  the  ebbing  of  life. 

The  pale  forehead  became  smoother,  and  the  blue  veins 
might  be  traced  under  the  skin.  The  eyes  grew  dim, 
3 


COOL    DRAUGHTS    AND    POISON.  55 

and  occasionally  wandered  with  a  vacant  stare,  showing 
that  reason  had  gone.  And  the  pinched  nostrils  and 
the  parched  lips  were  drawn  tighter  each  succeeding 
day. 

One  night  the  dying  mother  tried  to  speak,  but  it 
was  only  an  incoherent  whisper.  A  convulsion  and  a 
shiver,  and  then  a  deep  sigh  announced  that  her  spirit 
had  gone  forever ! 

In  the  brief  silence,  Madame  Zorah  bowed  her  head 
to  weep.  But  Leonore  rose  gasping  for  breath,  and 
frantically  shrieked,  "  Mother  !" 

A  voice  was  heard  in  response.  It  came  from  Kaska- 
dino,  the  medicine-man,  who,  unobserved,  had  been 
watching  at  the  outer  door. 

In  a  hollow  tone  he  said,  "  I  can  do  no  more !" 

As  the  dark  man  spoke  those  words,  a  tremor  dis- 
turbed the  composure  of  Florinda.  She  could  not  meet 
his  piercing  gaze ;  and  with  a  sign  of  fear,  her  head  was 
turned  away.  When  she  ventured  to  look  at  him  again, 
he  pointed  at  the  corpse;  and  then  pressing  one  hand 
against  his  heart,  in  a  significant  manner,  abruptly  quit 
the  house ! 


CHAPTEE    IV. 


suffering  and  endurance 
for  the  sake  of  her  darling  child, 
had  given  Madame  Zorah  an  ex- 
pression of  features  somewhat 
older  than  she  really  was.  But 
most  of  her  trials  were  experi- 
enced before  little  Leonore  came 
into  the  world  to  share  the  love 
she  had  to  bestow. 

With  the  anxious  solicitude  of 
a  mother,  she  watched  the  ma- 
turing of  her  beloved  offspring 
into  a  lovely  woman ;  and,  after  seeing  her  twice  a  bride 
and  once  a  mother,  it  was  hard  to  look  upon  that  young 
mother  lying  in  death ! 

She  kissed  her  forehead  the  last  time,  when  it  was  icy 
cold,  and  then  saw  the  dismal  coffin-lid  screwed  down, 
before  they  put  it  away  in  the  damp  earth ! 

The  Kceurs  (/rises,  or  "  gray  nuns,"  came  out  of  their 
cloister  in  the  Colony,  and  assisted  in  the  sad  prepara- 
tion of  the  corpse.  They  were  "  Sisters  of  Charity,"  and 
such  missions  self  appointed  to  perform. 

The  obsequies  were  simple  and  plain.     Only  grandma 


58  THE   GRAVE-DIGGERS   MOUND. 

and  the  orphan  wept  in  mourning  !  They  were  frantic 
with  bitter  woe,  while  other  eyes  calmly  looked  on  in 
sober  silence,  undimmed  by  a  sign  of  tears  ! 

The  grave  was  in  a  quiet  corner  of  the  field  of  the 
dead,  near  the  grove  at  the  river  side,  where  many 
others  had  been  buried  before.  And  when  the  heavy 
clods  fell  in  upon  the  coffin  with  that  appalling  sound, 
the  mourners'  hearts  almost  ceased  to  beat,  so  suffo- 
cating was  their  grief! 

The  old  grave-digger  reverently  heaped  up  a  little 
mound ;  and  with  his  spade  he  patted  the  fresh  earth 
into  shape !  And  then  they  all  slowly  turned  away ! 

O,  how  cruel  it  seemed  to  leave  the  loved  one  there 
to  feed  the  worms,  and  dissolve  in  eternal  decay ! 

But  Florinda  desired  not  to  accompany  the  mourners 
when  they  followed  the  coffin  to  the  grave.  She  stayed 
at  home  to  brood  over  her  crime — and  to  wonder  if  the 
living  would  ever  discover  the  wrong  done  to  the  dead  ! 

And  Tashae  did  not  look  upon  her  with  any  more 
favor  after  her  rival's  death.  He  then  began  to  woo 
the  daughter,  whose  greatest  inheritance  was  her  moth- 
er's magnificent  eyes. 

Leonore  was  scarcely  sixteen,  and  beautiful  enough  to 
inspire  a  purer  heart  than  Tashae's  with  admiration  and 
love.  But  Tashae  could  not  appreciate  such  love  as 
Leonore  might  give.  His  mind  was  gross  and  his  heart 
was  cold.  Strange  that  he  interested  Florinda !  But 
whether  she  loved  him  or  not,  her  ambition  was  to  be 
his  wife.  One  life  had  been  sacrificed  with  that  object, 
and  another  would  leave  her  mistress  of  the  situation. 

Kaskadino  quickly  perceived  her  thoughts,  and  shook 
his  head  with  a  hoarse  grunt,  which  signified  a  very 
emphatic  "  No  !"  He  was  a  cunning  as  well  as  a  wicked 
demi-savage.  Well  aware  that  she  aspired  to  be  Ta- 


MARRIAGE    UA    LA    MODE    DU    PAYS.  59 

shae's  wife,  he  easily  understood  why  the  widow  had 
been  in  her  way ;  and  it  became  equally  as  evident  that 
the  life  of  the  innocent  daughter  was  in  danger,  too ! 

Kaskadino  lent  his  aid  in  the  first  crime,  hoping  to 
get  Florinda  in  his  power.  Moreover,  according  to  his 
theory,  what  he  had  already  done,  should  induce  her  to 
follow  him  ever  after  as  his  obedient  slave.  And  per- 
ceiving that  her  regard  for  Tashae  continued  as  strong 
as  it  was  before  he  conspired  with  her  against  the 
widow,  he  not  only  grew  jealous  himself,  but  firmly  re- 
solved that  the  daughter  should  not  be  harmed,  while 
there  remained  the  least  prospect  of  his  rival  continuing 
to  woo  her. 

Tashae  and  Kaskadino  were  said  to  be  friends.  But 
I  will  not  believe  that  any  tie  of  friendship  could  act- 
ually exist  between  two  men  of  such  widely  different 
origin  and  position.  However,  they  were  not  enemies, 
to  judge  from  the  pleasant  words  exchanged  by  them 
whenever  they  met. 

It  soon  became  necessary  for  Tashae  to  visit  Mendota 
in  person,  upon  business  of  great  importance  connected 
with  the  settlement  of  pecuniary  affairs  controlled  en- 
tirely at  that  place.  And  Kaskadino  would  accompany 
him  thither.  The  half-breed  was  very  familiar  with  the 
route.  In  summer,  he  often  traveled  it  with  an  "  Ox- 
cart," and  in  winter  with  "  Dog-sledges  "  and  snow  shoes. 

From  Kaskadino's  great  interest  in  Florinda,  a  stran- 
ger would  infer  that  he  was  an  unmarried  man,  while  he 
really  had  a  gigantic  wife  and  half  a  dozen  robust  chil- 
dren, all  living  within  half  a  mile  of  her  abode.  For,  in 
conformity  with  an  established  rule  of  the  Hudson  Bay 
fur-trading  interests,  all  their  vassals  are  required  to 
appropriate  squaws — and  he  long  ago  married  a  la  mode 
du  pays,  just  as  his  father  did  before  him. 


60  WHAT   HISTORY    DOES    NOT   TELL. 

Kaskadino  was  only  a  simple  bois  brule  and  a  rough 
teamster — one  of  those  mongrel  beings  of  illegitimacy 
and  miscegenation,  who  have  no  pedigree,  no  nation, 
and  no  God ! 

If  the  true  history  of  Selkirk  Colony  should  ever  be 
written,  it  would  reveal  every  species  of  fraud,  crime 
and  atrocity  that  is  enacfed  in  a  populous  city,  made 
hideous  there  by  its  isolation  from  the  civilized  world. 
A  naturally  beautiful  region — but  the  unfortunate  settlers 
were  controlled  by  relentless  speculators  and  surrounded 
by  insatiate  savages,  in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness,  where 
the  summer  is  very  short  and  the  winter  so  intensely 
cold  that  the  mercury  freezes  in  the  thermometer,  and 
large  trees  and  great  rocks  are  split  asunder  with  the 
frost !  There  is  no  probability  that  its  history  will  ever 
be  written. 

It  was  the  middle  of  summer  when  Tashae  found  it 
necessary  to  visit  Mendota.  Of  course  he  would  accom- 
pany the  Ox-train  then  preparing  to  start.  Had  it  been 
in  the  winter  time,  dogs  would  have  taken  the  place  of 
oxen. 

A  week  or  so  before  the  Ox-train  was  ready  to  start, 
Major  Levasseur  arrived  from  Fort  Snelling.  That  was 
not  his  real  name,  but  it  answered  every  purpose.  He 
bore  the  stamp  of  a  gentleman.  His  cultivated  demeanor 
and  distinguished  personal  appearance  commanded  the 
profound  deference  of  all  whom  he  met.  He  spoke 
English  fluently,  though  that  was  not  his  native 
tongue. 

Major  Levasseur's  mission  there  was  to  perfect  a  ne- 
gotiation of  commercial  importance  with  the  so-called 
Governor  of  the  Colony.  And  consummating  which 
almost  immediately,  he  gave  notice  to  his  small  retinue 
that,  he  intended  to  return  the  next  morning.  But  hear- 


PRODIGAL   COQUETTES.  61 

ing  that  an  Ox-train  would  soon  go  down,  he  resolved 
to  wait  and  join  the  expedition. 

The  Governor  referred  him  to  Tashae,  through  whose 
courtesy  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Florinda;  and 
she,  in  turn,  could  not  avoid  introducing  him  to  Madame 
Zorah  and  Leonore,  the  beautiful  orphan,  who  were  still 
crushed  with  grief. 

There  certainly  was  some  strange  fatality  following 
in  the  path  of  Madame  Zorah.  One  grandson  of  her 
noble  morganatic  husband  made  her  daughter  his  wife 
in  London,  and  then  away  there  in  the  far-oif  wilder- 
ness of  America,  the  other  grandson  came  to  besiege 
the  heart  of  Leonore !  But  Madame  was  ignorant  of 
that.  Had  she  known  the  truth,  Major  Levasseur  would 
have  been  less  welcome.  As  it  was,  she  hoped  that 
Leonore's  beauty  might  prove  their  salvation.  Should 
she  captivate  him,  he  would  remove  them  from  the 
Colony. 

Levasseur  had  seen  his  brother's  bride  in  London,  and 
indistinctly  remembered  her  magnificent  eyes.  But 
when  he  tried  to  recollect  where  he  had  seen  such  eyes 
as  Leonore's,  it  was  impossible  to  tell.  Little  did  he 
dream  of  their  real  origin ! 

Florinda  went  to  work  again.  She  seemed  to  enter- 
tain the  most  prodigal  views  of  flirtation.  In  her  opin- 
ion, every  individual  of  the  opposite  gender  was  legiti- 
mately a  fair  prize,  if  she  could  catch  him.  I  have 
encountered  similar  birds  of  passage  in  various  grades 
of  society.  And  how  unaccountable  it  is  that  they  so 
seldom  marry.  It  is  also  a  notable  fact  that  when  one 
of  these  prodigal  coquettes  succeeds  in  nabbing  a  hus- 
band, the  unfortunate  individual  almost  invariably  and 
speedily  seeks  consolation  from  celibate  companions, 
who,  after  ridiculing  his  folly  to  their  heart's  content, 


62  WOOING  A  BROTHER'S  CHILD. 

kindly  receive  him  as  a  tolerated  protege  for  a  butt  of 
reference  when  the  bliss  of  matrimony  is  brought  into 
question. 

However,  Levasseur's  skillful  address  quickly  dis- 
armed Florinda.  He  eifectually  assumed  a  strictly 
paternal  interest  in  the  gentle  orphan,  without  the 
remotest  idea  that  she  was  really  his  own  niece.  But 
he  understood  the  art  of  wooing  too  well  to  fail  when 
the  object  was  so  richly  worth  the  pure  love  of  a  noble 
heart  in  return. 

The  grave  held  Leonore's  mother,  and  yet  it  seemed 
to  Madame  that  she  was  with  her  still.  Leonore's 
presence  kept  that  love  alive.  Nevertheless,  the  resem- 
blance between  Leonore  and  her  mother  was  noticeable 
in  nothing  except  her  eyes.  Those  were  precisely  like 
her  mother's.  Perfectly  black,  and  remarkably  large, 
with  a  melting  lustre  that  the  beholder  would  hardly 
ever  forget.  Her  mother's  eyes  captivated  her  father, 
and  now  his  brother  came  to  fall  in  love  with  hers ! 
A  marvelous  coincidence  in  life  !  Not  an  imaginary 
position — but  an  actual  misadventure  in  social  life ! ! 

Madame  was  not  aware  that  the  grandson  of  the 
proud  old  Marquis  Dupontavisse  stood  ready  to  kneel 
at  her  granddaughter's  feet.  But  she  smiled  when 
Levasseur  said  that  Leonore's  lustrous  black  eyes  re- 
called another  pair  he  had  seen  somewhere  before.  She 
had  no  reason  to  suspect  that  Levasseur  ever  saw  the 
eyes  of  Leonore's  mother  ! 

Had  Levasseur  arrived  before  her  mother  died,  there 
might  have  been  a  recognition.  But  entirely  ignorant 
of  all  that,  Madame  congratulated  herself  on  the  proba- 
bility of  realizing  the  scheme  which  suddenly  inspired 
her  heart.  She  would  let  the  stranger  woo  Leonore  un- 
til he  took  them  back  to  the  civilized  world,  and  there 


"GOD    BLESS   THAT   MAN."  63 

he  must  either  marry  her  or  go  his  way,  and  leave 
them  to  pursue  theirs. 

Thus  the  grandmother  planned — to  lose  or  to  win  ! 
In  that  desperate  game  she  was  staking  at  least  one 
pure  human  soul ! 

Tashae  obliged  Levasseur  with  such  arrangements  as 
he  required  to  accompany  the  Ox-train ;  and  Florinda 
exerted  herself  to  look  captivating.  But  while  merely 
thanking  them  for  their  good  natui'e,  Levasseur  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  sorrows  of  the  beautiful  orphan. 
He  listened  to  her  story,  and  generously  oifered  to  con- 
vey them  hence. 

Tashae  was  sorely  vexed  when  Levasseur  made  known 
his  magnanimous  intention,  and  would  have  opposed  it 
if  he  dared.  But  he  feared  to  displease  a  man  whose 
influence  could  remove  him  from  his  position.  So  while 
chafing  beneath  compulsion,  he  put  on  a  smile  of  appro- 
bation, and  hoped  for  a  favorable  result  during  their 
long  journey. 

The  evening  before  their  departure,  Levasseur  accom- 
panied Leonore  and  her  grandmother  to  take  a  last  look 
at  her  mother's  grave ! 

It  was  a  sad  picture  to  see  those  stricken  hearts  weep- 
ing over  the  little  mound  of  earth  that  covered  the  re- 
mains of  their  dear  one  gone  forever !  And  when 
Levasseur  raised  Leonore  from  the  crouching  posture  in 
which  she  wept  with  her  head  buried  in  her  grand- 
mother's arms,  and  kissed  her  as  a  father  might  a  dar- 
ling child,  an  observer  would  have  ejaculated,  "  God 
bless  that  man !" 

The  night  passed,  and  morning  came.  Already  the 
Ox-carts  were  moving.  One  after  the  other  they  fell 
into  line.  And  when  the  last  started,  the  foremost  was 
far  away. 


FAREWELL   TO   MOTHEK's    GRAVE.  65 

Madame  Zorah's  hollow  cheek  was  not  so  pale,  nor 
were  Leonore's  beautiful  eyes  so  red,  when  their  bene- 
factor kindly  and  tenderly  lifted  them  both  upon  easy 
riding  horses.  A  long  and  a  rough  road  lay  before 
them — but  hope  urged  them  on ! 

The  sun  rose  bright  and  fair,  the  wild  birds  were  car- 
oling in  the  trees,  and  the  delicious  odor  of  neglected 
flowers  perfumed  the  air. 

Adieu,  Selkirk — adieu ! 

And  mother's  grave  ?    Dear  mother !     Farewell ! 

Then  also  good-by  to  the  "  land  of  windmills "  with 
their  grotesque  wheel-sails  whirling  upon  giant  arms,  or 
hanging  motionless  when  there  was  no  breeze  to  give 
them  motive  power.  They  are  a  feature  of  antiquity 
blended  with  the  other  romantic  associations  peculiar 
to  Selkirk  Colony. 

At  the  junction  of  the  Assineboine  and  Red  Rivers, 
they  passed  Fort  Garry,  floating  above  the  gloomy  walls 
of  which  a  blood-red  flag  revealed  the  monogrammatic 
signum  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company.  And  opposite 
the  fort,  they  saw  the  half-ruined  walls  of  the  cathedral 
which  was  erected  many  years  before  and  never  finished 
outside  or  in.  The  rough  stone  abutments  and  facades 
were  surmounted  with  two  steeples.  And  the  heavy 
chime  of  bells  in  one  of  them  seemed  to  jar  the  dingy 
timbers  in  the  open  tower  with  its  framework  still 
naked  to  the  eyes  of  every  passer-by.  All  those  quaint 
objects  faded  from  the  travelers'  sight  as  they  journeyed 
on  in  hope  of  enjoyment  yet  to  come. 

Kaskadino  had  duties  to  perform.  But  while  trudg- 
ing along  at  the  side  of  his  oxen,  he  now  and  then  hurled 
a  revengeful  glance  far  to  the  rear,  where  Tashae  was 
riding  on  horseback  accompanied  by  Florinda. 

That  wicked  woman  had  become  one  of  the  party 


66  THE    BED    RIVER    OX-CARTS. 

through  the  skillful  exercise  of  her  cunning.  She  did 
not  want  to  lose  sight  of  Tashae,  while  Leonore  was 
near  him ;  and  he  acquiesced  in  her  going,  for  the  sake 
of  a  pleasant  traveling  companion  on  his  return. 

The  Red  River  Ox-cart  has  wheels  at  least  six  feet  high. 
Such  a  great  diameter  is  to  facilitate  their  progress  over 
roads  that  would  seem  utterly  impassable  to  a  citizen's 
eye.  The  shafts  are  similar  to  those  of  an  ordinary 
dray,  but  extend  from  the  animal's  shoulder  beyond  the 
rear  of  the  box  and  rest  on  a  level.  Thus,  the  load  is 
not  easily  displaced  by  violent  jolting  nor  liable  to  dip 
into  the  muddy  sloughs.  The  spokes  pass  entirely 
through  the  deep,  wide  rim  of  the  wheels,  and  slant 
out  some  inches  beyond  the  hub,  thus  forming  a  brace 
at  each  side  of  the  vehicle  to  prevent  it  upsetting.  Only 
a  single  ox  is  attached  to  each  cart — though  sometimes 
a  lazy  driver  has  been  known  to  tie  the  horns  of  his 
patiently  toiling  beast  to  the  rear  end  of  the  cart  ahead ; 
and  so  on,  stringing  a  lot  together — in  which  position 
their  poor  necks  must  suffer  at  any  unexpected  jolt. 

The  most  singular  feature  of  the  cart  and  harness  is 
that  not  a  particle  of  iron  need  be  used  in  their  con- 
struction. Only  ash  or  swamp-oak  wood,  roughly  hewn 
with  hatchets,  forms  the  vehicle.  The  harness  is  similar 
to  that  used  in  more  civilized  parts  of  the  world  two 
hundred  years  ago.  A  buffalo-hide  collar,  stuffed  with 
moss,  supports  the  names,  which  are  connected  with  the 
shafts  by  short  traces  of  rawhide  and  wooden  pins.  A 
band  passes  entirely  around  the  animal's  body,  resting 
upon  a  small  rude  saddle  at  the  back,  after  wrapping 
the  shafts  to  keep  them  from  shaking  about.  The  hold- 
back strap  passes  over  the  hips  and  connects  with  the 
shaft  on  each  side  in  a  peculiar  way. 

Nine  hundred  pounds  is  considered  a  good  load  for 


LNTOXICA.TIKG   SOUNDS.  67 

an  Ox-cart,  and  thirty  miles  far  enough  to  travel  in  one 
day.  Every  six  or  eight  miles,  the  oxen  are  allowed  to 
feed.  Prairie  grass  is  the  only  food  they  get.  While 
the  oxen  crop  the  grass,  the  people  lunch  on  wild  game 
or  pemican.  After  an  hour's  delay,  they  resume  their 
journey  as  before. 

An  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  crazy  soldiers, 
marching  with  a  calithumpian  band,  could  not  surpass 
the  awful  noise  made  by  a  train  of  several  hundred 
Ox-cart  wheels  when  in  motion.  The  axle-trees  are 
greased  with  a  composition  of  lye  and  buffalo  fat,  which 
quickly  slushes  out,  leaving  the  friction  to  produce  the 
most  doleful  sounds  ever  devised  to  torture  human  ears 
or  to  demoralize  a  sensitive  mind.  A  lazy,  creaking 
whine,  as  if  all  the  imps  of  pandemonium  were  singing 
themselves  to  sleep  after  a  high  old  spree. 

At  Red  River,  a  cart  costs  from  fifteen  to  thirty  dol- 
lars, and,  with  proper  care,  may  be  used  five  or  six 
years,  providing  a  new  axle-tree  is  put  in  every  spring. 
They  are  employed  in  carrying  merchandise  out  to  the 
British  possessions  and  bringing  in  furs.  The  Hudson 
Bay  Company  use  at  least  eight  hundred  at  the  pres- 
ent time  ;  and  individuals  are  running  a  thousand 
or  so  more.  Each  load  is  packed  under  a  second- 
quality  buffalo  hide,  which  is  first  soaked  to  be  tightly 
drawn — thus  forming  a  sure  protection  against  the 
weather. 

The  train  that  brought  down  Madame  Zorah  and 
Leonore,  included  nearly  fifty  carts,  and  quite  as  many 
people.  The  Captain  had  his  wife,  and  some  of  the  driv- 
ers had  their  wives  and  children  with  them.  At  sunset, 
the  flag  was  pulled  down.  And  then  the  cattle  were 
unharnessed,  and  the  carts  all  backed  up  in  a  circle 
around  the  camp-fires,  inside  of  which  they  and  the 


68  THE   ENCAMPMENT  AT  NIGHT. 

people,  and  dogs  and  horses,  were  comparatively  secure 
from  external  harm.  The  evening  was  spent  in  telling 
stories  and  card-playing,  or  whatever  might  suit  their 
fancies.  After  a  horrid  sleep,  the  flag  was  hoisted 
again ;  and  they  were  all  up  and  away  the  next  morn- 
ing an  hour  before  the  sun  appeared  in  the  sky. 

But  as  if  the  "wheel  melodies"  of  the  previous  day 
were  not  abundantly  sufficient  for  the  extreme  enjoy- 
ment of  the  organic  sense  of  human  hearing,  two  other 
styles  of  music  were  introduced  at  night.  Purely  nat- 
ural, both  of  them.  The  barking  of  prairie  wolves  not 
unfrequently  deterred  the  inexperienced  travelers  with 
the  caravan  from  sleeping  as  soundly  as  they  might  in 
bed  at  home.  Indeed,  the  close  proximity  of  significant 
growls  had  some  tendency  to  produce  a  trifling  sensa- 
tion in  the  minds  of  the  half-breed  ox-drivers  who  were 
accustomed  to  such  lullabies  to  intensify  their  dreams. 
The  wolves  not  only  growled  and  barked,  but  they 
seemed  to  be  carnivorously  inclined.  And  the  tradi- 
tional theory  of  their  indiscriminate  appetites  has  been 
well  established  by  them  devouring  mankind,  regard- 
less of  age  or  sex.  The  ladies  were  somewhat  alarmed 
when  they  heard  a  retaliative  whine  between  the  dogs 
inside  the  circular  camp,  and  their  uncivilized  cousins 
who  prowled  hungrily  without.  Then  the  exquisite 
song  of  the  mosquitoes  that  filled  the  air  in  quest  of 
nourishing  subsistence,  also  disturbed  the  composure  of 
Madame  in  particular.  She  violently  abominated  that 
species  of  insectile  torments,  and  mentally  vowed  never 
to  incur  similar  punishment  by  a  second  journey  in  the 
land  where  they  exist  at  certain,  or  rather  uncertain, 
seasons  to  an  extent  entirely  beyond  the  conjectural 
scope  of  people  who  have  not  been  there  to  realize  the 
truth  by  personal  experience. 


MODERN    SONS    OF    ISHMAEL.  69 

With  the  primitive  simplicity  of  conveyances,  invent- 
ed before  the  existence  of  Tubal  Cain,  the  quaintly- 
fashioned  carts  creaking,  and  the  bovine  hoofs  clatter- 
ing upon  the  trail — and  with  men,  women  and  children 
in  romantic  attire,  the  winding  cortege-caravan  some- 
what resembled  a  procession  of  crusaders  foraging  for 
plunder,  or  a  horde  of  pilgrims  in  quest  of  promised 
rewards  that  lie  afar. 

The  captain's  authority  is  absolute  when  once  in  com- 
mand, and  the  multitude  all  obey.  As  the  pillar  of 
cloud  was  to  the  camp  of  the  children  of  Israel,  so  is  the 
flag  of  these  modern  sons  of  Ishmael  to  them.  When 
it  is  hoisted  at  dawn,  every  one  must  rise  and  be  moving. 
It  flutters  in  the  breeze  all  day  upon  the  march,  and 
goes  down  with  the  sun  at  night.  A  leading  ensign,  a 
guide — an  animated  signum  of  life,  in  the  tramp,  tramp, 
over  the  hills  and  far  away  ! 

Hah !  Again  my  reverie  is  broken  by  a  startling 
sound.  Now  I  hear  the  tolling  of  a  bell  beyond  the 
wide  river !  The  strokes  ai-e  regular  and  solemn — and 
I  count  ten,  eleven,  twelve !  Precisely  the  midnight 
hour! 

And  while  the  multitude  of  people  in  the  city  are 
nearly  all  slumbering  comfortably  abed,  I  am  linger- 
ing here  alone  upon  this  uninhabited  hill.  An  irre- 
sistible impulse  brought  me  up  here  to  enjoy  a  sunset 
view,  and  for  seven  long  hours  since  then,  some  strange 
spell  has  kept  me  chained  to  these  rocks. 


CHAPTER   Y. 


• 


I  AM  not  addicted  to  imagi- 
nary fears ;  but,  at  this  particu- 
lar moment,  a  very  unpleasant 
sensation  disturbs  the  usual  pla- 
cidity of  my  nerves.     To  be 
L  candid,  I  am  suddenly  and  se- 
,,'/ riously  impressed  with  a  vague 
comprehension  of  the  weird-like 
scene  surrounding  me  at  such 
an  hour.     Midnight  solitude  in 
a  spot  like  this,  does  not  tend 
to    inspire   a   common   mortal 
with  the  most  exhilarant  feelings. 

The  tones  of  that  bell  must  have  produced  this 
strange  emotion.  I  can  not  tell  why,  but  the  tolling 
of  a  bell  is  sure  to  make  me  sad.  Even  those  "  holiday 
chimes"  in  the  church  towers,  sound  doleful  to  me. 
And  then,  too,  the  "  merry  marriage  bells,"  so  often 
meant  for  joy,  seem  to  say  in  my  ear,  "  Come  and  laugh 
with  us  to-day,  for  perhaps  to-night  we'll  die !" 

What  if  an  inebriated  savage,  either  Sioux  or  Chip- 
peway,  should  chance  to  wander  this  way  and  ruth- 


72  WHEN   GRAVE-YARDS   YAWN  ! 

lessly  despoil  me  of  my  scalp  ?  Having  "  no  hair  upon 
the  top  of  my  head,"  might  not  save  me  from  his  san- 
guinary intention.  And  what  if  half  a  dozen  aborigi- 
nes, filled  with  the  evil  inspiration  of  minne-wakan, 
should  surprise  me  here  ?  Yet  that  is  not  possible 
now — for  the  "bad  Injuns"  have  all  been  sent  away. 

And  then  that  mournful  breathing  up  in  the  pine 
tree-top,  is  so  sadly  suggestive  of  a  lost  spirit  hovering 
near !  Nevertheless,  I  am  not  fearful  of  a  ghostly  ap- 
parition. Even  when  a  child,  I  could  not  be  taught  to 
dread  spectral  horrors,  nor  to  shun  grave-yard  terrors, 
the  darkest  night  in  the  year.  Indeed,  I  once  slept  at 
night  upon  a  marble  tomb. 

Strolling  through  a  grand  old  cemetery  on  a  pleasant 
evening,  I  sat  down  to  muse.  Sleep  overpowered  me ; 
and,  instead  of  a  visit  from  ghosts  or  goblins,  I  realized 
a  marvelously  romantic  dream,  in  which  there  was 
much  more  truth  than  fiction. 

Haunted  houses  are  very  terrifying  to  morbidly  super- 
stitious people,  whose  absurd  fancies  lead  them  to  sus- 
pect that  a  spiritual  emissary  of  evil  is  lurking  in  every 
dark  nook  and  gloomy  retreat.  And  now  I  remember 
a  ghost  adventure,  or  rather  a  ghost  hunt,  in  which  I 
participated  some  years  ago. 

The  sighing  of  the  breeze  among  the  branches  of  the 
solitary  pine,  recalls  that  adventure.  It  was  in  a  de- 
serted school-house  standing  at  the  edge  of  a  small 
forest  of  pines.  A  little  edifice  of  stone,  erected  long 
before  I  came  into  the  world,  was  standing  somewhat 
remote  from  any  habitation ;  but  in  the  midst  of  a 
thickly-populated  agricultural  district,  so  that  it  might 
be  convenient  to  the  farmers  living  in  either  direction. 

O 

Not  far  distant  was  the  shii'e  town  with  its  stores,  and 
its  shops,  and  a  particularly  shabby  tavern.  The  tav- 


THE   TAVERN-KEEPElt's    SON.  73 

ern  was  all  the  more  unpleasant  in  consequence  of  the 
landlord  having  a  nearly  grown-up  idiotic  son,  who  fre- 
quently terrified  the  neighbors  and  the  guests  by  ma- 
licious depredations  or  raids  of  lunatic  diversion.  He 
had,  nevertheless,  learned  to  read  and  write — but  math- 
ematics he  could  not  understand. 

His  favorite  amusement  was  industriously  tormenting 
the  neighbors'  cats.  So  far  did  he  carry  his  diversion 
in  the  feline  community,  that  nearly  all  the  affrighted 
Tommies  and  Tabbies  would  scamper  out  of  sight  the 
instant  he  appeared  or  even  his  voice  was  heard. 

This  tantalizing  propensity  of  the  imbecile,  in  such  a 
delightful  pursuit,  won  for  him  the  appropriate  sobriquet 
of  "  Cattey " — by  which  he  was  familiarly  designated 
among  the  more  comp->s  mentis  inhabitants  of  the  town. 
I  believe  that  all  villagers  select  some  particular  indi- 
vidual of  the  community  upon  whom  they  unanimously 
crack  their  jokes  and  play  their  tricks.  In  conformity 
with  that  popular  rule,  Cattey  was  made  the  acknowl- 
edged butt  of  those  who  were  addicted  to  ridicule  or 
fond  of  fun. 

He  never  killed  any  cats,  but  displayed  a  marvelous 
talent  for  devising  novel  methods  of  annoying  and  tor- 
turing them.  One  old  masculine  rather  disputed  his 
right  to  "hiss  and  skat!" — and  frequently  inflicted 
gashes  upon  his  legs,  arms,  hands  and  face,  puynis  et  cal- 
cibus.  But  instead  of  exasp?rating  the  Idiot  into  a  vio- 
lence that  might  have  resulted  in  his  own  destruction, 
the  spunky  old  cat  thereby  won  the  admiration  and 
esteem  of  his  foolish  tormentor. 

This  theme  reminds  me  of  the  ethical  discourse  of 
"  one  old  maid  in  a  thousand,"  who  cherishes  an  abhor- 
rence for  the  entire  feline  race.  She  compares  their 
characteristics  to  everything  mean  in  human  nature — 
4 


74  SOMETHING    ABOUT   CATS. 

and  says,  "  I  hate  eats.  They  havn't  one  of  the  virtues, 
but  all  the  vices.  They  are  deceitful  and  ungrateful — 
and  they'll  steal.  You  can't  bribe  them  to  be  faithful, 
nor  can  you  arouse  their  pride  by  ill-treatment.  Spurn 
a  dog's  friendly  advances,  and  it  will  shy  off  insulted ; 
but  you  may  kick  a  cat  out  of  the  house  ten  times  a 
day,  and  it  will  sneak  in  and  pur-r-r-r  around  you  hypo- 
critically whenever  it  smells  cream.  It  will  caress  you 
without  any  love.  It  will  return  to  the  house  you  have 
left  because  it  has  been  comfortable  there.  But  it  will 
never  follow  you  like  a  do^  does  through  sickness,  sor- 
row and  want,  and  then  lu  moaning  on  your  grave  when 
your  friends  have  all  gone  off  and  forgotten  where  you 
lie.  I  tell  you  that  I  abominate  them  all — from  the  old 
gray  cat  squalling  out  of  doors  after  people  have  all 
gone  to  bed,  to  the  Maltese  kitten  on  the  rug  in  front 
of  the  parlor  fire." 

The  old  school-house  near  the  forest  of  pines,  had 
been  managed  by  a  male  pedagogue  in  the  winter  and 
by  an  exemplary  "  marm "  in  the  summer,  from  year  to 
year,  until  eventually  a  young  lady  of  New  England 
origin  filled  the  vacant  chair. 

C7 

The  tavern-keeper's  silly  son  saw  the  new  teacher, 
and  fell  in  love  with  her.  He  said  he  was  old  enough 
to  have  a  wife.  But  she  declined  his  offer  of  marriage, 
and  repulsed  him  so  harshly  that  he  resolved  to  seek 
revenge.  She  thought  lightly  of  his  threat,  and  went 
on  in  the  even  tenor  of  her  way  without  the  least  fear 
of  harm. 

Her  school  consisted  of  only  nine  pupils,  all  told. 
Six  little  girls,  two  little  boys,  and  Jane,  a  large  wench, 
made  up  the  number.  In  Jane,  the  teacher  had  a  very 
warm  friend. 

The  Idiot  was  frequently  seen  lurking  about  in  the 


AN   IDIOT'S    REVENGE.  75 

pines.  But  Jane  kept  on  the  alert.  One  day  he  ap- 
proached the  school-house  and  looked  in  at  the  window 
near  Jane's  seat.  After  frightening  the  little  children 
and  winking  at  the  teacher,  he  wrote  with  a  pencil  on 
the  window-sill.  Then  laughing  in  a  strange  manner, 

«— '  O  O  / 

he  slowly  walked  off  out  of  sight  among  the  pines. 

When  the  Idiot  was  gone,  Jane  read  in  the  large 
characters  plainly  written  upon  the  window-sill : 

"  I'll  come  when  that  nigger  aint  here,  and  fix  you  off 
then.  If  you  resist  me,  I  shall  take  out  your  heart  and 
keep  it  to  carry  on  my  watch-chain.  My  knife  is  a  new 
one.  Yesterday  I  sharpened  it  up  on  father's  grind- 
stone. Its  edge  is  as  keen  as  Uncle  Josh's  razor." 

A  few  hours  afterward  school  was  dismissed  for  the 
day,  and  the  children  scampered  off  to  their  homes. 
But,  suspecting  danger,  Jane  lingered  to  accompany 
the  teacher. 

They  closed  up  the  shutters  as  usual,  and  were  just 
ready  to  emerge  from  the  door,  when  the  Idiot  stood 
before  them.  His  face  was  distorted  with  an  exulting 
grin,  and  uttering  an  incoherent  exclamation  he  grasped 
the  teacher's  arm. 

Totally  paralyzed  with  fear  from  his  sudden  reappear- 
ance after  what  he  had  written  upon  the  window-sill, 
she  could  neither  resist  nor  scream.  And  with  mouth- 
ing, maniacal  chuckles,  the  Idiot  dragged  her  back  into 
the  dark  room  !  The  struggle  was  quickly  over ! 

Two  blows  from  an  axe  and  a  heavy  fall !  A  long 
moan  and  gurgling  sounds  !  And  then  all  was  still ! 

A  stream  of  warm,  crimson  blood  ran  across  the  floor 
and  gathered  in  a  pool  where  the  light  shone  in  at  the 
open  door ! 

"  You  have  killed  him !"  shrieked  the  teacher.  "  He 
is  dead !" 


CUT  NOSE;  or  "Me  Good  lu.jnn."    A  Tender-hearted 

Sioxtx  Convict,  who  was  executed  for  Butchering 

Nineteen  White  People. 


VILLAGE    SUPERSTITIOX.  ^7 

A  long,  loud,  wild  scream  came  from  Jane  as  she 
darted  out  of  the  school-house,  and  fled  into  the  pines  ! 

The   teacher   called   and   called,  but   Jane   did   no" , 
return !      Flying,  whither  none  could  tell,  she  disap- 
peared forever ! 

A  farmer  then  chanced  to  be  passing  along  that  way, 
and,  lifting  the  corpse  into  his  wagon,  he  carried  it  to  the 
village  tavern. 

O 

The  teacher's  story  was  believed  in  consequence  of 
Jane's  flight.  But  after  the  corpse  of  the  Idiot  was  laid 
in  the  ground,  she  departed  for  a  distant  town.  And 
there  was  no  more  school  in  the  old  stone  house  at  thu 
edge  of  the  forest  of  pines  ! 

I  slept  in  that  miserable  village  tavern  eight  or  ten 
years  after  the  school-house  tragedy  had  been  performed. 
Business  connected  with  the  opening  of  a  new  railway 
called  a  friend  of  mine  thither,  and  I  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  accompany  him.  While  there,  a  villager  related 
to  me  the  whole  story,  with  a  declaration  that  the  house 
was  haunted. 

After  the  Idiot's  funeral  it  had  not  been  visited  by  any 
one.  But  groans,  such  as  he  was  supposed  to  have 
uttered  with  his  last  breath,  were  frequently  heard  at 
night-time  by  persons  obliged  to  journey  that  way.  It 
was  generally  believed  that  a  ghost  must  be  there  at 
such  hours,  in  just  the  same  condition  which  the  Idiot's 
body  was  when  he  struggled  in  the  agony  of  death. 

I  laughed  at  the  villager  when  he  related  the  ghost 
part  of  his  story ;  and  a  very  large,  swarthy  teamster 
thought  to  intimidate  me  by  saying  that  I  was  "afeered" 
to  enter  the  old  school-house  after  night.  He  boasted 
that  the  neighbors  dare  not  go  in ;  and  also  assured  me 
that  the  window-shutters  still  remained  closed  precisely 
as  the  teacher  and  Jane  had  left  them. 


78  JOUHNEV    IN    THE    DARK. 

I  accepted  the  teamster's  challenge  upon  condition 
that  he  and  some  of  his  comrades  should  accompany  me 
and  point  out  the  location  of  the  house.  To  this  he  very 
reluctantly  assented.  There  was  no  moon  at  the  time ; 
and  so  we  started  off  in  the  twilight,  followed  by  nearly 
all  the  villagers  who  knew  what  was  going  on.  We 
soon  came  to  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  there  the  team- 
ster stopped  short.  He  said  that  I  might  easily  find  it 
by  continuing  on  through  the  pines,  which  seemed  im- 
penetrable to  me.  I  heard  a  million  sighs  among  the 
ocean  of  green  boughs  as  they  responded  to  the  wafting 
of  the  evening  breeze !  A  doleful  requiem  that  would 
express  all  the  grief  in  the  world  !  And  the  narrow  road 
was  shrouded  in  gloom !  I  could  not  think  of  groping 
my  way  alone  through  such  a  dreary  place  to  confront 
the  ghostly  inhabitant  of  a  haunted  house. 

I  spent  some  time  trying  to  ridicule  the  teamster's 
fears,  and  he  finally  concluded  to  "see  me  through,"  as 
he  expressed  it,  if  first  allowed  to  "  wet  his  whistle " 
with  the  whisky-bottle  carried  in  a  comrade's  pocket. 
And  when  his  whistle  was  in  tune,  he  insisted  that  the 
"whole  crowd"  should  go  along.  They  finally  con- 
sented ;  and  we  marched  on  through  the  sighing  pines 
to  the  air  of  Yankee  Doodle,  which  the  teamster  whistled 
with  marvelous  skill. 

But  as  we  approached  the  far  edge  of  the  pines,  his 
whistle  grew  fainter,  and  finally  ceased  altogether.  He 
then  squeezed  my  arm  tightly,  and  informed  me  in  a 
whisper  that  the  haunted  house  was  not  more  than  a 
hundred  yards  ahead.  I  peered  through  the  opening 
among  the  trees  and  saw  a  dim  outline  of  some- 
thing. 

Having  an  axe  and  a  dark  lantern,  I  made  them 
promise  not  to  desert  me  while  I  reconnoitered.  Silently 


UNEARTHING    A    GHOST.  79 

and  cautiously  I  drew  near  the  dilapidated  edifice — and, 
sure  enough,  I  distinctly  heard  a  heavy  groan  !  But  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  sound  came  from  under  the  house ; 
and  so  I  very  quietly  proceeded  to  walk  around  the 
premises  with  minute  inspection.  At  the  rear  I  discov- 
ered, by  the  aid  of  my  lamp,  an  open  passage-way  lead- 
ing down  into  the  cellar;  and  just  at  that  moment  a 
repetition  of  the  mysterious  noise  caused  me  to  halt. 

It  occurred  to  me  that  such  groans  could  not  proceed 
from  a  ghost,  or  from  anything  unnatural.  I  noticed  a 
peculiar  cadence  that  was  familiar  to  my  ear ;  and  at 
once  turned  the  full  light  of  the  lantern  through  the 

o  o 

opening  in  the  wall,  to  behold  what  brought  a  peal  of 
laughter  from  me  loud  and  merry  enough  to  inspire  the 
trembling  villagers  with  courage  to  approach.  And 
then  the  teamster  frankly  admitted  that  they  were  all 
"  darned  fools  "  for  imagining  the  lamentations  of  swine 
to  be  those  of  an  Idiot's  ghost ! 

The  cellar  dcor  was  unclosed  at  the  time  of  the  trag- 
edy, and  a  small  herd  of  "  wood-hogs "  found  therein 
a  very  comfortable  retreat.  And  as  it  is  impossible  for 
those  eccentric  animals  to  lodge  together  without  a  per- 
petual indulgence  in  piteous  complainings  about  each 
other's  selfish  encroachment  in  bed,  the  unknown  ten- 
ants of  the  old  school-house  cellar  quite  innocently  and 
very  naturally  disturbed  the  stillness  of  the  night  with 
their  doleful  griefs.  The  villagers  all  laughed  very 
heartily  over  their  long-entertained  supposition  of  a 
ghost ;  and  two  or  three  of  them  emphatically  declared 
that  they  never  believed  in  "  hants  "  of  any  kind. 

While  one  of  the  disbelievers  was  vehemently  reiter- 
ating his  contempt  for  the  foolish  superstition  of  his 
neighbors,  he  suddenly  ceased  talking  and  stood  petri- 
fied with  terror,  caused  by  a  nimble  scratching  up  in 


THE    HAUNTED    HOUSE. 
oU 

the  caves  of  the  house.  Instantly  every  one  of  the 
hilarious  villagers  ceased  their  blabbering  and  ran  away 
at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Assuring  them  that  the 
cause  of  their  alarm  was  merely  the  noise  made  by  the 
claws  of  a  raccoon  climbing  out  of  the  garret  in  fright 
at  our  presence  and  the  glare  of  the  lantern,  they  re- 
turned laughing  and  vociferating  all  together. 

The  wood-hogs  (wild  swine)  "  boo-hoo'd "  and  left 
their  stye.  Escaping  into  the  pines,  we  siibsequently 
heard  them  there  in  grunting  and  grumbling  consulta- 
tion. 

We  explored  the  cellar,  and  then  pried  open  the  door, 
which  had  been  closed  ever  since  the  last  teacher  turned 
the  key  in  the  lock  that  night  after  the  farmer  carried 
out  the  Idiot's  dead  body.  Everything  stood  precisely 
as  it  was  left.  There  lay  the  rusty  axe ;  and  when  the 
thick  accumulation  of  dust  was  brushed  away,  the  blood 
stains  were  yet  to  be  seen.  The  mice  and  woodchucks 
had  eaten  the  books.  Cobwebs  filled  the  corners,  and  a 
dozen  scared  bats  flew  down  from  the  walls. 

My  friend  revisited  that  neighborhood  last  June ;  and 
he  says  that  the  walls  of  the  old  school-house  were  long 
since  torn  down.  And  a  very  remarkable  fact  which  he 
heard  in  connection  with  the  demolition  of  the  house, 
was  that  a  white  man  had  purchased  the  stone  to  build 
a  residence  for  himself  and  his  "  colored  wife,"  in  which 
they  now  live  together ! 

Perhaps  that  old  school-house  ghost  was  really  as 
genuine  as  a  majority  of  other  apparitions,  or  manifesta- 
tions of  supernal  or  infernal  spirits,  which  are  supposed 
to  exist  in  gloomy  or  deserted  places,  where  any  unusual 
sound  might  occur  to  suggest  associations  with  a  pre- 
vious crime  or  some  traditional  mystery. 

But,  see !  "  While  I  am  reviewing  my  ghost  adven- 


MOONEISE    IN    MINNESOTA  !  81 

ture,  a  paler  tint  of  azure  is  suffusing  all  the  Eastern 
horizon !  It  comes  like  the  dawning  of  day,  only  not 
so  ruddy  as  a  reflection  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  A 
pleasant  glow,  softly  expanding  in  brightness,  until  the 
twinkling  stars  totally  disappear  and  the  larger  ones 
are  scarcely  seen.  And  as  the  lovely  radiance  spreads 
far  and  wide,  a  new  sensation  accelerates  the  throbbing 
of  my  heart !  My  feelings  are  jubilant  with  an  emotion 
such  as  might  be  inspired  by  a  beautiful  dream.  I  seem 
borne  aloft  and  soaring  in  the  sky ! 

Lost  in  admiration,  I  gaze  with  anxious  inquiry  for  a 
solution  of  the  bright  phenomenon,  and  presently  catch 
a  glimpse  of  the  rising  moon !  It  is  peeping  up  slowly 
from  behind  Dayton's  Bluff,  all  red,  and  huge  in  size, 
strangely  unlike  what  I  have  seen  it  elsewhere.  In  the 
clear,  dry  atmosphere  on  this  part  of  the  globe,  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  rising  moon  is  wonderfully  strange! 
With  its  features  so  plainly  defined,  I  can  hardly  con- 
vince myself  that  it  is  not  merely  just  beyond  the  bluff, 
instead  of  being  so  many  thousand  miles  away. 

Travelers  who  have  been  in  those  exotic  lands  where 
undying  summer  continues  all  the  year,  assure  me  that 
the  glory  of  the  rising  moon  is  more  sublime  there  than 
pen  can  write  or  tongue  can  tell.  A  view  of  the  moon 
coming  up  out  of  the  sea,  has  often  inspired  poetical 
minds  with  emotion  which  could  find  expression  only  in 
glowing  rhymes.  I  once  saw  the  moon  rise  amid 
mountains  in  a  clime  where  cold  winds  never  blow. 
That  was  a  beautiful  sight ;  but  the  vision  I  now  behold 
is  more  charming  than  any  similar  scene  in  my  recol- 
lection. A  friend  told  me  that  the  moonlight  beneath 
these  skies  was  beyond  my  conception,  and  truly  I  find 
it  so  to-night.  In  this  transparent  air,  the  firmament 
itself  seems  nearer  to  the  earth  than  it  does  in  anv  other 


lion.  Alexander  Kamsey,  First  Governor  of  Minnesota. 


AN    ENCHANTING    SCENE.  83 

region  where  I  have  been.     The  very  stars  appear  close 
enough  to  be  reached  with  the  hand  ! 

But  as  the  moon  ascends  toward  the  zenith  of  the 
sky,  it  turns  paler  and  decreases  in  size  until  its  color 
and  its  magnitude  are  familiar  to  my  eye.  And  now 
the  eastern  side  of  the  bluffs  are  almost  as  light  as  day. 
Scattered  over  that  semicircular  range  of  hills,  and  nest- 
ling among  vines  and  trees,  I  catch  glimpses  of  many  a 
palacious  villa  in  which  wealthy  citizens  abide,  with  the 
elegance  and  the  refinement  that  distinguish  the  more  an- 
tique habitations  of  their  peers  who  dwell  near  cities  and 
towns  existing  long  ago.  And  down  in  the  bright,  new 
city,  among  the  thoroughfares  of  trade,  I  can  distinguish 
the  gray  stone  walls,  filled  with  costly  merchandise,  and 
that  contain  plethoric  vaults  of  undoubted  currency,  if 
not  silver  and  gold.  Between  the  warehouses  in  which 
busy  men  traffic  during  the  active  hours  of  the  day,  and 
the  superb  villas  grandly  reposing  along  the  continuous 
hill,  I  behold  the  undulating  outline  of  variform  houses 
that  constitute  the  great  magnitude  of  the  growing  city, 
spread  out  for  miles  around. 

And  above  the  river's  surface,  silver'd  o'er 
Witli  quiv'ring  ripples  that  reacli  from  shore  to  shore, 
I  plainly  see  the   complicate   frame-work  of  that  im- 
mense inclined  bridge  which  reaches  from  the  towering 
front  of  the  city  down  to  the  low  flat  bordering  this 
side  of  the  mighty  stream. 

Great  shadows  are  behind  the  rocks  which  surround 
the  lofty  cliff  where  I  am  sitting,  and  thin,  airy  phan- 
toms seem  to  lie  in  waiting  under  those  bare-armed 
bushes  above  the  gorge.  The  street-lamps  over  in  the 
city  have  lost  their  sharp  gleam,  and  dimly  flicker 
beneath  the  resplendent  brightness  of  the  moon.  Even 
the  hooting  owl  in  yonder  thicket  has  ceased  to  com- 


84  THE    YAWNING    CHASM. 

plain ;  and  up  in  the  pine  tree-top  I  do  not  hear  such  a 
mournful  sighing  of  the  wind  as  I  did  before  this  new 
light  came  to  smile  upon  nature  in  repose. 

The  entire  universe  seems  utterly  still !  A  solemn 
enchantment  hovers  around.  Experiencing  a  feeling  of 
awe,  I  am  also  at  the  same  time  filled  with  a  strange 
delight.  I  mentally  ejaculate  as  light  as  day !  But  it 
is  not  so.  For  even  in  this  rarefied  atmosphere,  the 
smiling  face  of  Luna  is  but  a  mirrored  reflection  of  the 
rays  of  light  borrowed  from  Sol,  whose  eternal  living 
fire  is  now  shining  down  upon  our  antipodes  in  China 
and  in  Japan,  while  their  enterprising  and  prosperous 
cousins  in  Columbia-land  are  nestled  in  the  arms  of 
Morpheus,  the  consoling  god  of  sleep. 

And,  behold  !  Newspaper  print  is  quite  legible  to 
the  eye !  for  I  actually  peruse  a  paragraph  of  "  leaded 
brevier  "  type  in  the  St.  Paul  "  Daily  Pioneer  " — at  mid- 
night by  the  light  of  the  moon ! ! 

Removing  the  paper  from  before  my  eyes,  I  unavoid- 
ably perceive  the  moonbeams  playing  amid  the  con- 
fusion of  rocks  far  down  beneath  me.  At  the  bottom 
of  the  yawning  chasm,  there  is  a  deep  pit,  all  in  dark- 
ness like  an  abyss  of  oblivion,  over  which  I  have  been 
sitting  with  my  nether  limbs  dangling  in  the  frightful 
void,  entirely  unconscious  of  the  peril  of  my  position. 
I  saw  the  precipice  before  the  sun  went  down,  and, 
though  its  depth  seemed  immense  by  daylight,  it  is  a 
thousand  times  more  appalling  now ! 

With  a  shudder,  I  very  cautiously  work  further  back 
from  the  smooth  edge  of  the  projecting  cliiF — and,  nerv- 
ously and  carefully  drawing  up  my  limbs,  I  do  not 
breathe  until  I  gain  a  safer  footing  a  few  yards  nearer 
the  solid  centre  of  the  great  rock. 

When  I  reflect  how  many  hours  I  sat  so  carelessly 


"  I    WANT   TO    GO    HOME  !"  85 

perched  out  at  the  very  point  of  that  thin  ledge  of 
stone,  I  tremble  with  fright.  The  tiny  projection  might 
have  snapped  off  at  any  moment  and  precipitated  me 
into  the  air,  to  be  dashed  among  the  chaos  of  rocks, 
down  there  so  far  below  ! 

Recovering  from  fright  at  the  dangerous  position  I 
unconsciously  had  been  in,  I  find  all  my  romantic  aspi- 
rations absorbed  in  a  new  desire.  I  now  want  to  go 
home !  I've  had  enough  midnight  solitude  in  this  un- 
frequented mountain.  Even  the  joyous  moonlight  now 
se.ems  melancholy.  Every  object  wears  a  mournful  ex- 
pression. 

These  reactions  of  feeling  will  occur  at  times ;  and 
now  I  would  give  something  considerable  to  know  that 
I  was  safely  lodged  in  the  cozy  bed  that  is  waiting  for 
me  at  the  International  Hotel.  Indeed,  most  people 
would  say  that  it  was  very  foolish  to  stroll  away  up 
here  among  these  rugged  rocks  to  spend  seven  hours 
alone  with  Nature,  when  I  might  have  remained  in  the 
city  surrounded  by  gas-light  and  social  companions. 

And  now  I  am  somewhat  doubtful  about  finding  the 
right  road  back  to  town.  It  is  at  best  a  very  devious 
path.  First  I  must  cross  yonder  glen,  and  pick  my  way 
through  the  small  forest  sloping  down  into  the  gloomy 
gorge.  Then  I  shall  be  obliged  to  clamber  and  stumble 
among  the  broken  rocks  to  the  open  lawn,  where  the 
low-roofed  farm-house  stands  a  mile  from  here.  At  that 
point  I  shall  try  to  find  the  wagon-track  of  a  blind  road, 
which,  after  winding  up  and  down,  apparently  at  ran- 
dom, to  shun  a  rock  or  to  avoid  a  clump  of  trees,  will 
lead  me  to  a  mountain  brook.  I  crossed  the  stream 
with  some  difficulty  before  sunset,  by  leaping  from  one 
stone  to  another ;  but  now  the  dense  growth  of  trees  -on 
the  other  side  will  hide  the  crossing  from  the  rays  of 


86 


A    DEVIOUS    PATH. 


the  moon.  Doubtless  I  shall  there  experience  the 
pleasurable  sensation  of  very  wet  feet.  After  ascend- 
ing the  very  steep  hill  beyond  the  stream,  and  walking 
half  a  mile  further,  I  can  reach  the  public  highway. 
Then  on,  around,  down — continually  around,  down,  for 
a  mile  or  so,  I  shall  emerge  from  the  wilderness  and 
receive  fresh  courage  by  treading  upon  a  more  civilized 
level  of  the  earth,  with  a  good  macadamized  thorough- 
fare leading  to  the  great  inclined  bridge,  over  which  I 
can  cross  the  river  and  ascend  to  the  streets  of  the  city. 
Arriving  there,  I  shall  breathe  much  easier  than  I  do 
now  in  this  solemn  wild  ! 


An   I  u-rpeusive  Edifice,  call.-d  a  "  Claim  Shanty,"  not 
untrerjjiently  seen  in  remote  parts  of  Minnesota. 


CHAPTEE    VI. 


MY  peregrinations  of  the  day  and 
part  of  the  night  are  ended,  and 
at  length  I  am  once  more  snugly 
couched  for  repose.  To  an  exhaust- 
ed body  and  a  weary  mind,  I  know 
of  nothing  more  pleasurable  than 
the  sensation  of  a  horizontal  atti- 
tude upon  a  cosy  bed  with  the 
prospect  of  quiet  slumber.  And  I 
fully  realize  that  enjoyment  now. 
It  is  nearly  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing ere  I  have  attained  a  recumbent 
position  between  these  nice  linen  sheets.  It  is  unneces- 
sary to  say  that  my  "  carnal "  sensibilities  are  eagerly 
yearning  for  beatific  repose.  After  such  a  protracted 
reverie  on  the  wild  hill-top,  terminating  with  an  extend- 
ed detour  over  dark,  rugged  and  uncertain  paths  in  the 
night  air,  I  am  not  at  all  surprised  to  experience  a 
"  goose  flesh  "  creeping  outside,  while  a  chill  reaches  my 
very  vitals  within.  However,  a  few  extra  blankets 
piled  on  top  of  me  will  soon  dissipate  all  that. 


88  A    SINGULAR   DREAM. 

Heigho !  Such  gigantic  yawns  !  The  shivers  per- 
ceptibly decrease,  and  oscitant  wandering  lulls  me  into 
a  pleasant  unconsciousness  of  sleep — to  dream  ! 

And  now  my  spirit  goes  back  again  to  that  great 
bluff.  Entirely  forgetful  of  having  returned  home  and 
come  to  bed,  I  seem  to  be  lingering  there  yet.  I  am  in 
the  same  spot  beneath  the  solitary  pine,  and  can  plainly 
hear  the  whispering  sobs  and  sighs  among  its  green 
boughs.  The  moon  is  calmly  smiling,  and  all  the  ob- 
jects around  me  are  reposing  with  the  quietude  in  which 
I  left  them  an  hour  ago. 

Receding  from  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  I  am  sensible  of 
the  night  chill,  and  give  my  coat  an  ex ,  a,  button.  I 
am  perfectly  conscious  of  all  that  passed  through  my 
mind  while  here  in  person,  during  the  evening,  up  to 
the  moment  of  my  departure  for  the  city.  At  that 
point,  my  double  identity  has  lost  its  impression,  and  I 
am  about  to  start  on  a  devious  journey,  unconscious  of 
having  actually  passed  through  the  tiresome  ordeal. 
But  ere  proceeding  ten  paces,  I  suddenly  pause  with  a 
disagreeable  presentiment  of  evil.  Perhaps  it  is  all 
fancy ;  but  a  voice  of  lamentation  seems  to  issue  from 
that  curious  mound  of  round  blue  stones  which  I  no- 
ticed so  intently  in  the  light  of  day. 

I  experience  a  numbness  in  my  veins,  and  then  a 
warm  nervous  thrill  makes  my  head  feel  as  if  the  hair 
all  stood  stiff  on  end.  What  can  it  mean?  Were  I 
awake,  such  a  feeling  would  scai-cely  put  a  tremor  in 
my  knees.  But  I  am  dreaming  and  powerless  to  resist 
at  will.  Yet  everything  appears  real.  How  vividly 
the  past  comes  up  in  my  recollection.  I  very  distinctly 
remember  never  seeing  an  apparition  in  all  my  life.  I 
also  recall  my  juvenile  explorations  wherever  any  unac- 
countable manifestation  was  said  to  exist  or  expected  to 


THE    SOBBIXG    OF    GRIEF.  89 

occur ;  and  all  without  once  having  realized  the  coveted 

*  ~ 

gratification  of  a  personal  interview  with  supernal 
beings. 

Breathlessly  I  pause  to  listen.  And  when  I  have 
made  up  my  mind  that  it  is  merely  imagination,  or  per- 
haps caused  by  the  breeze  frolicking  in  sadness  among 
the  rocks  further  on,  I  am  suddenly  and  seriously 
startled  by  its  repetition.  My  hair  is  now  really  strug- 
gling to  get  on  end,  and  a  distressing  weakness  is  tor- 
turing my  knees.  Is  it  possible  that  I  have  come  all 
the  way  here  to  be  foolishly  frightened  ?  I  must  banish 
this  cowardly  feeling.  Yet  there  it  is  again !  Deep 
and  mournful,  like  the  sobbing  of  long-fostered  grief! 

Motionless  I  stand,  in  doubt  what  to  think  and  afraid 
to  start !  I  can  perceive  no  movement  except  the  gen- 
tly waving  tall  dead  grass  and  the  small  bushes.  I 
hear  no  noise,  save  only  a  faint  rustling  over  in  the 
thicket,  where  the  crisp  brown  leaves  are  clinging  to 
their  dry  parent  stems,  and  the  soft  murmuring  of  that 
tiny  cascade  down  in  the  gorged  ravine,  which  comes 
up  like  a  pleasant  lullaby  that  might  hush  angels  to  re- 
pose. Beside  those  trivial  sounds,  which  are  the  purest 
melodies  of  nature,  whispering  their  primevous  requi- 
ems of  sorrow  and  chansons  of  joy,  all  else  above,  below 
and  far  around,  is  sunk  in  silence,  and  seemingly  at 
rest.  Surely  no  spirit  of  evil  can  be  lurking  here  be- 
neath the  lovely  moon  ;  and  I  shall  not  permit  any 
superstition  to  haunt  my  mind.  I  am  ashamed  of  my- 
self for  thus  pausing  in  silly  dismay,  because  the  wind 
chances  to  frolic  with  audible  sound  in  a  cleft  or  a 
fissure  of  those  prodigious  broken  rocks. 

Fonvard — march  !  One  step — two,  three,  four,  five  ! 
Despite  my  bold  resolution,  those  knees  of  mine  will 
play  the  coward  !  And  that  crawling  numbness  is  tin- 


90  PHILOSOPHY    AXI)    FEAR. 

gling  up  and  down  my  back,  while  the  hair  on  my  head 
feels  as  if  it  would  dislodge  my  hat  and  stand  stiffly 
erect.  My  breathing  is  difficult ;  and  I  do  not  remem- 
ber hearing  my  heart  thump  so  ever  before.  Instead  of 
taking  courage,  I  stand  like  a  statue  representing  the 
stolidity  of  an  imbecile  transfixed  with  fright.  I  can 
not  go  that  way — and  there  is  no  other  path ! 

It  must  be  something  more  than  a  wind  frolic  in  the 
cavities  of  rock  !  Such  sounds  as  I  now  hear  can  not  be 
tuned  by  a  random  current  of  the  wind.  And  they 
surely  emanate  from  that  curious  mound.  It  is  a 
breathing  lamentation  emitted  from  among  those  round 
blue  stones — which  I  am  obliged  to  pass.  An  unearthly 
noise  that  would  startle  the  nerves  of  any  civilized  mor- 
tal who  might  hear  it  in  a  dreary  mountain  wild  like 
this,  at  such  an  hour  of  the  night. 

But  I  shall  not  admit  a  prevalence  of  anything  super- 
natural, even  here.  The  philosophy  of  only  common 
sense  assures  me  that  the  indubitable  laws  of  nature  will 
not  permit  unearthly  manifestations  where  the  living 
can  breathe.  With  this  conviction  shaming  me  to 
action,  and  really  provoked  at  myself  for  credence  of 
what  could  never  be,  I  once  more  boldly  start  in  the 
direction  of  the  curious  mound.  But  as  I  approach,  the 
mysterious  noise  becomes  louder  at  every  pace. 

Facing  an  open  enemy  in  deadly  conflict  requires  a 
deal  of  courage ;  but  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion,  from 
my  peculiar  sensations  at  this  unpleasant  crisis,  that 
undue  nervous  delinquency  would  quickly  incapacitate 
me  for  proceeding  any  further.  But  I  shall  go! 
Avaunt  there !  Spirit,  demon,  devil,  or  mortal  of 
human  form !  I  still  hear  you ;  but  though  I  feared 
your  wail  a  moment  ago,  I  am  resolved  to  brave  your 
presence  now  ! 


AN   ABNORMAL    REIXG.  91 

Tramp,  tramp.  Firm  and  steady.  And  at  every 
stride,  the  lamentation  comes  plainer  to  my  ear.  My 
heart  will  throb  quicker  than  it  usually  does.  But  what 
of  that  ?  I  am  now  on  a  line  with  the  curious  mound, 
out  of  which  the  wailing  noise  seemed  to  come  a  moment 
ago.  Hah  !  Another  step  reveals  a  dark  object  to  my 
sight !  It  is  crouching  in  a  heap  at  the  edge  of  the 
round  blue  stones !  What  can  it  be  ?  A  wild  beast, 
surely — for  it  bears  no  semblance  to  anything  of  human 
form! 

And  here  I  suddenly  pause  once  more !  In  fact,  if  I 
continue  on  that  way,  my  presence  will  rouse  the  crea- 
ture from  its  apparently  unconscious  condition.  Thus  I 
tremblingly  stand.  The  moonlight  throws  my  shadow 
almost  to  where  the  dark  object  is  crouching,  and  I  half 
shudder  at  the  thought  of  its  touching  even  that. 

Twisting  and  writhing,  with  moans   and   mournful 

O  ~  / 

sighs,  it  sways  from  side  to  side  and  conceals  its  head 
beneath  its  shapeless  trunk.  A  strangely  animated  mass 
of  life — whether  flesh,  fish  or  fowl !  I  know  it  lives  and 
breathes,  because  I  can  see  it  move  and  hear  its  piteous 
noise. 

A  ghost,  if  such  spirits  ever  do  appear  to  human  eyes, 
would  be  too  ethereal  to  utter  any  sound.  A  lost  soul 
could  not,  and  in  all  reasonable  expectation  would  not, 
inhabit  such  a  hideous  material  substance  as  that.  A 
hobgoblin — a  spirit  damned — would  scarcely  be  allowed 
to  escape  from  the  mythological  regions  of  conflagrant 
sulphur  in  that  supposed  terra  incognita  beyond  the 
grave ! 

A  beast,  a  brute,  a  dumb  animal  of  any  species  or 
undiscovered  kind,  would  not  thus  exhibit  emotional 
distress.  And  yet  a  wounded  animal  might  roll  in 
agony  of  body  and  utter  cries  of  pain.  But  a  beast  has 


in  Indian  Burial  Scaffold,  upon  which  the  bodies  rf 
the  Dead  were  placed  to  decay. 


THE    CLAWS    OF   A    DEMOX I  93 

a  hide  of  hair  or  some  other  external  features  devoid  of 
the  handiwork  of  art ;  while,  in  the  flood  of  moonlight, 
I  perceive  the  ends  of  a  tcxtural  garment  unworn  by 
wolves  .or  bears.  And  now  I  discern  long  tresses  of  hair 
streaming  down  from  this  creature's  head  and  wiping 
the  dust  off  the  rock.  That  looks  more  human  !  But 
can  a  human  being  double  up  into  a  wad  or  a  ball  and 
execute  a  vocalism  so  unearthly  dissonant  as  what  I 
hear  ? 

But  see !  I  have  done  it  now  !  The  crushing  of  a  small 
stone  beneath  my  foot  has  produced  a  counter  noise, 
which  the  creature  hears.  And,  with  a  startled  cry,  it 
suddenly  bounds  upright  on  its  hind  legs.  I  can  per- 
ceive its  wild  stare  of  surprise,  and  then  I  hear  a  hoarse 
grunt  and  a  defiant  snarl.  An  instant  it  pauses;  and 
immediately  I  experience  a  chill  of  horror  as  it  darts 
upon  me,  grasping  my  arm  like  the  pressure  of  an  iron 
vice.  Confused  with  fright,  I  have  but  one  distinct  idea 
— and  that  is  to  escape  the  claws  of  a  demon  ! 

Though  all  my  life  averse  to  believing  in  disembodied 
devils,  a  careful  study  of  the  dark  side  of  human  nature 
has  firmly  convinced  me  that  incarnate  fiends  numer- 
ously walk  the  earth  with  bold  impunity  among  the 
best  of  men.  But  this  monster  strikes  me  dumb.  In 
the  beautiful  moonlight,  I  can  plainly  discern  its  hideous 
features — and  they  are  partly  human !  Its  hot  breath 
burns  upon  my  face  as  it  stretches  its  long,  lean  neck  to 
peer  into  my  eyes,  while  I  am  utterly  powerless  to 
struggle,  much  less  to  resist.  To  describe  my  feelings 
would  be  impossible.  Like  a  group  from  the  sculptor's 
chisel,  we  both  stand  transfixed  and  immovable  as  stone. 
I  cannot  speak,  and  the  demon  tightens  its  grasp  with- 
out uttering  any  sound.  The  terror  paralyzing  my 
strength  is  not  greater  than  the  revulsion  of  my  senses 


94  A    DRIED    MUMMY    ALIVE  ! 

from  the  close  contact  of  the  demon's  visage — which 
bears  a  tomb-like  deformity  somewhat  similar  to  one  of 
those  mummies  exhumed  from  the  catacombs  of  ancient 
Egypt,  where  they  had  lain  thousands  of  years ! 

Now  the  monster  smiles — a  ghastly  expansion  and  con- 
traction of  its  hard,  dry  features,  from  which  every  par- 
ticle of  flesh  and  moisture  appears  to  have  gone !  A 
repulsive  grin — not  of  rage — but  in  exultation  at  my 
capture  and  evident  fright.  A  huge  mouth,  with  harsh 
cartilaginous  lips  drawn  wide  apart,  disclosing  a  pale, 
sickly  front  of  toothless  gums.  There  may  be  two  or 
three  bodkin-shaped  snags  in  the  lower  jaw,  the  remote 
expansion  of  which  is  hinged  by  a  square  breadth  of 
angle  such  as  bull-dogs  are  noted  for — while  but  one 
useless  fang  is  quite  pendulous  above.  Particularly 
coarse  black  hair,  in  cleanliness  and  texture  suggestive 
of  the  vertebrate  capiliform  posterior  extremity  of  the 
equine  or  the  bovine  species,  separated  into  rough 
stringlets  and  matted  flakes,  is  dangling  before  and  be- 
hind from  the  frounced  and  frouzy  vertex  of  the 
demon's  head  !  The  wrinkled  cuticle  of  its  face  is  with- 
ered and  dry,  and  tightly  drawn  across  a  great  Roman 
nose.  It  has  small  black  eyes,  that  glare  in  the  moon- 
light streaming  upon  them.  They  are  deeply  sunken 
into  its  head,  and  each  is  surrounded  with  the  protruding 
rim  of  a  bony  cavity,  not  unlike  those  huge  sockets 
shown  in  the  front  of  that  noted  criminal's  skull  which 
I  have  seen  among  the  phrenological  specimens  on  ex- 
hibition at  a  celebrated  academy  where  they  elucidate 
anatomical  wonders ! 

Doubtless  those  black  eyes  were  large  and  luminous 
when  the  demon  was  young ;  but  as  all  living  things 
must  mature  and  decay,  this  creature  has  long  since 
passed  its  youthful  prime.  Even  a  demon's  existence 


GLARING    SMALL    BLACK   EYES  !  95 

can  not  extend  beyond  a  limited  span.  Though  from 
external  appearances,  the  longevity  of  this  one  is  very 
great.  I  imagine  that  some  marvelous  liberality  in  the 
usually  inexorable  laws  of  nature  has  permitted  this 
being  to  retain  a  vital  tenacity  and  a  herculean  strength 
beyond  all  the  established  physiological  theories  of  life. 
And,  without  any  stretch  of  my  already  excited  imagina- 
tion, I  can  not  refrain  from  comparing1  those  deeply 
sunken  and  fiercely  glaring  small  black  eyes  to  the 
outlets  of  some  mysterious  cavern,  where  the  prince  of 
darkness  sits  upon  his  cabalistic  throne,  with  grim  ex- 
ultation in  mockery  of  the  weeping  angel  of  light,  who 
is  a  suppliant  captive  kneeling  at  his  feet ! 

A  dingy  blanket  is  wrapped  loosely  around  the  de- 
mon's form  as  far  down  as  the  knees,  and  its  slender  ill- 
shaped  nether  extremities  are  swathed  in  what  appear 
to  be  the  shreds  of  a  discarded  coat,  or  a  pair  of  old 
pantaloons !  Male  or  female,  whichever  it  is,  no  out- 
ward indication  now  reveals.  And  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised if  it  had  no  sex  at  all !  Was  it  born  of  woman, 
the  offspring  of  man  ?  Is  it  a  creature  of  God,  or  a  gor- 
gon  from  some  purgatorial  limbo  unknown? 

In  those  theatrical  representations  of  Stygian  waters, 
and  in  the  Tartarean  realms  over  which  Pluto  and 
Hades  rule,  I  have  seen  hideous  masks  to  personate  the 
satellites  of  that  Luciferean  dignitary  who  occupies  the 
honorary  position  of  Beelzebub-in-chief — but  none  of 
them  were  any  more  hideous  than  the  infernal  visage 
before  me  now. 

In  this  lonely  spot,  at  the  midnight  hour,  under  these 
circumstances,  and  in  such  manner,  with  a  great  flood  of 
magical  moonlight  streaming  upon  its  form  and  illumi- 
nating its  horrid  face,  how  could  my  reason  be  otherwise 
than  partly  overturned  ?  But  I  am  in  bodily  pain ! 


96  A    PARALYZED    AUM. 

What  a  powerful  grasp  the  demon  has !  It  does  not 
relax  in  the  least.  On  the  contrary,  I  feel  it  clutching 
tighter  still!  And  as  its  great  bony  fingers  harshly 
indent  my  flesh,  a  strange  numbness  begins  to  destroy 
all  sense  of  feeling.  My  arm  is  unnerved  and  apparently 
stiff!  The  blood  has  ceased  to  flow  in  the  veins  beyond 
my  shoulder,  and  I  fancy  that  the  entire  limb  is  already 
cold. 

In  the  violent  clutch  of  this  demon  there  seems  to  be 
some  mythologic  power  that  can  paralyze  living  things 
with  a  magic  spell,  at  its  will.  And  if  my  arm  is  thus 
withered  by  its  terrible  grasp,  what  else  have  I  to  ap- 
prehend ?  Will  the  blight  extend  any  further  than  my 
arm?  With  that  question,  a  horrible  suspicion  enters 
my  mind,  and  a  sickening  perspiration  suffuses  every 
part  of  my  body.  What  if  I  should  be  transformed 
into  a  rock  or  a  tree,  and  so  continue  to  exist  through 
the  lapse  of  countless  ages,  without  volitive  animation, 
and  yet  retaining  all  the  consciousness  of  intellect  char- 
acterizing a  human  heart  and  brain  ?  Is  it  possible  that 
I  am  doomed  to  stand  here  ever  like  the  solitary  pine, 
among  whose  green  boughs  the  moaning  of  a  lost  spirit 
is  so  often  heard  in  response  to  the  night  wind  and  the 
evening  breeze  ? 

Surely  there  must  be  some  magical  influence  pervad- 
ing these  hills,  as  yet  unknown  to  the  science  of  the 
wrorld.  That  indescribable  sensation  experienced  by 
every  one  when  they  first  breathe  the  intoxicating  at- 
mosphere of  this  wonderful  land,  is  significantly  sug- 
gestive of  invisible  charms  which  may  operate  upon  the 
body  and  even  the  soul  of  an  individual  who  sympa- 
thizingly  yearns  for  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with 
that  psychological  mystery  connecting  the  celestial  and 
mundane  spheres. 


THE   VISION   DISSOLVES.  97 

But  how  strange  it  is  that  I  can  pause  to  moralize 
with  theory  and  reflection,  while  the  clutch  of  this  demon 
is  palsying  my  limbs  and  evidently  depriving  me  of  the 
natural  functions  which  pertain  to  life !  Perhaps  I  have 
been  lost  in  the  hallucinatory  imagination  of  a  trance, 
which  is  gradually  dispelled  upon  discovering  the  faint 
gleam  of  a  smile  that  now  lightens  up  the  countenance 
of  the  demon.  I  certainly  begin  to  feel  more  like  my- 
self. The  numbness  of  my  arm  is  abating  with  the 
relaxation  of  that  terrible  grasp. 

Hah!  and  now  I  see  the  demon  laugh!  Not  with 
pleasurable  anticipation  of  devouring  me ;  but  in  merri- 
ment at  my  trembling  fear.  Its  tongue  moves !  It 
speaks !  Thank  Heaven ! — then  it  is  one  of  God's  crea- 
tures, after  all !  But  what  does  it  say  ? 

"Haugh!  White  man  'fraid  of  Injun!  Hi-augh! 
Tremble  at  old  Injun  squaw !  Hoi-augh !  White  man 
big  knife,  but  don't  know  Old  Betz  !  Haugh !  White 
man  sick !  Been  hurt  in  head !  Ugh !  White  man 
lost — can't  go  to  bed !" 

At  this  announcement  I  am  lost  in  mental  oblivion. 
The  bluff  instantly  disappears,  and  I  grasp  at  seeming 
objects  that  are  but  empty  air !  A  wild  "  Ha,  ha !"  is 
ringing  in  my  ears  while  I  pass  entirely  out  of  the 
world. — Gone,  I  know  not  where  ! 

Presently  I  awake  and  find  myself  lying  on  my  back, 
scarcely  able  to  breathe,  with  such  a  great  pile  of  extra 
blankets  pressing  upon  my  lungs ! 


Hah-zah-ee-ynn-kee-win ;  or  "Old  Betz" — That  remarkable  Centenarian 
Female  Savage,  whom  the  Author  first  saw  in.  a  Singular  Dream. 


CHAPTEE    VII. 


How  strange  that  I  should 
see  Old  Betz  in  a  dream!  I 
am  not  surprised  that  my  spirit 
flew  back  to  the  moonlight 
scene  upon  the  bluff,  after  lin- 
gering there  such  a  length  of 
time  in  meditation.  But  why 
did  I  encounter  that  centena- 
rian squaw?  She  is  the  most 
wonderful  living  curiosity  in 
Minnesota ;  and  I  presume  that 
nearly  every  one  acquainted 
with  the  North-west,  has  frequently  heard  her  name.  I 
had  been  hoping  for  a  personal  interview  with  her ;  but 
did  not  expect  that  we  should  meet  in  a  vision  of  sleep, 
or  otherwise,  at  midnight  upon  a  lonely  mountain  top. 

Ah,  well !  Perhaps  these  dreams  are — Heigho !  I 
am  much  too  drowsy  for  theorizing  now.  How  I  yawn ! 
It  may  be — that  is — and — 

My  heavy  respiration  notifies  the  little  mouse  skulk- 
ing in  the  corner  there  behind  the  stove,  that  I  am  once 
more  sound  asleep. 


100  "  RUNNING   INJUN   WITH   BIG   MOON  !" 

After  a  brief  lapse  in  oblivion,  while  my  weary  body  is 
reposing  upon  this  comfortable  bed,  in  spirit  I  fly  off  on 
another  excursion.  Space  is  no  hindrance  to  my  flight. 
Instantaneously,  without  even  the  trouble  of  conceiving 
a  desire,  I  am  once  more  on  the  back  of  that  invisible 
genii  who  attends  to  this  mysterious  department  of 
human  exploits.  He  wafts  me  across  the  river — and 
again  I  am  in  the  identical  spot  where  I  saw  Old  Betz 
awhile  ago.  Hah !  and  here  she  is  now ! 

The  moonlight  is  full  upon  her  face ;  and  as  she  tries 
to  smile,  I  notice  the  expression  of  her  small  black  eyes. 
They  seem  rather  diminutive  in  size,  because  incompu- 
table longevity  has  pushed  them  so  far  back  into  her 
head.  Her  smile  is  a  prelude  to  speech. 

She  inquires  why  "pale-face  runs  Injun  with  big 
moon  ?"  From  which  I  infer  that  she  is  making  a  sig- 
nificant allusion  to  my  nocturnal  wandering  at  such  an 
unusual  hour.  And  then  she  wants  to  know  why  I  am 
not  at  home  and  in  bed  with  my  wife  !  Her  manner  is 
decidedly  blunt.  I  may  very  justly  accuse  her  of  im- 
perturbable audacity — for  she  quizzingly  insinuates  that 
every  white  man  in  St.  Paul  ought  to  have  a  wife  of 
his  own ! ! 

Again,  entirely  unconscious  of  being  at  home  and  in 
bed  and  asleep,  I  seem  lingering  in  the  identical  state 
of  existence  while  here  previous  to  my  first  dream.  But 
my  feelings  are  precisely  what  they  were  immediately 
after  this  marvelous  old  creature  revealed  herself  to 
me  with  that  sarcastic  allusion  to  my  fear  of  "  Injun 
squaw !" 

An  idea  opportunely  occurs  to  me  that  she  might 
greatly  expedite  the  pedestrian  labor  which  I  imagine 
is  yet  to  be  performed.  Will  she  guide  me  back  to 
town  ?  But  first,  what  is  her  Indian  name  ? 


AN    OLD   SQUAW'S   GEIEF.  101 

"  Haugh !  Me  go  anywhere !  Big  knife  got  kosh- 
popee  !  Old  Betz's  name,  Hah-zah-ee-yun-kee-win "  (one 
who  gathers  huckleberries  while  running  !) 

I  ask  her  what  she  means  by  kosh-popee,  and  she  sig- 
nifies "  ten  cents  !"  She  evidently  presumes  that  I  have 
"  plenty  ten  cents  " — which  denominated  numeral  may 
be  the  limit  of  her  arithmetical  education.  For  kosh- 
popee,  she  is  willing  to  escort  me  anywhere.  Cheap 
enough  !  If  she  would  contract  on  such  terms,  I  might 
employ  her  as  a  guide  for  daylight  excursions  among 
the  thousand  lakes,  the  great  prairies  and  the  romantic 
hills.  At  that  proposition,  she  gives  her  uncombed  head 
and  tangled  hair  a  quick  negative  shake,  to  say : 

"Injun  nowhere  when  pale-face  want  him!  Old 
squaw  be  way  over  there,  fore  sun  come  back  in  morn- 
ing. Can't  find  old  Betz  sometime  !" 

I  imagine  not,  if  she  is  in  the  habit  of  gathering 
huckleberries  while  on  a  run.  But  see !  she  points  to- 
ward the  west,  as  if  intending  to  go  far  that  way  before 
sunrise. 

I  now  inquire  what  brought  her  here  at  this  time  of 
night.  Not  berries,  at  this  season  of  the  year  ? 

When  I  have  spoken,  she  squats  down  at  the  edge  of 
that  curious  pile  of  round  blue  stones,  with  her  head  be- 
tween her  hands,  and  immediately  begins  rocking  to 
and  fro.  What  moans  and  lamentations !  She  is  re- 
peating the  performances  at  which  I  at  first  found  her. 

All  this  seems  very  much  at  variance  with  the  charac- 
ter she  bears  by  reputation.  Is  it  possible  that  people 
judge  too  harshly  when  they  speak  of  her  as  an  old 
dragon  of  the  female  gender  ?  From  her  conduct,  she 
is  evidently  mourning  the  loss  of  something  that  was 
once  near  and  dear  to  her — and  that  impression  is 
quickly  confirmed  when  I  hear  her  sorrowfully  cry : 


102  ANGRY   WAKATJ   STOLE    HEB   CHILD. 

"  Me  choonkshee  !  Me  choonkshee  /" — which  in  the  Da- 
cota language  means,  "  My  child  !  My  child  !" 

Then  the  despised  old  Indian  squaw  has  been  a  moth- 
er ;  and  her  weary  heart  is  even  now  full  of  grief  for  the 
loss  of  a  beloved  child.  I  listen  to  her  words ;  which, 
though  uttered  in  her  native  tongue,  are  very  beautiful 
in  meaning. 

"Alas, alas!  me  choonkshee  !  me  choonkshee !  Thou 
art  gone  from  my  sight  forever !  The  Great  Wakan 
came  to  my  humble  teepee  in  his  anger  and  stole  thee 
away !  It  was  a  dark  night ;  and  when  the  full  moon 
rose,  thy  spirit  had  fled !  The  brightness  of  the  moon 
was  like  the  sunshine  of  the  day ;  yet  when  thou  wert 
taken  from  my  sight,  I  saw  nothing  but  desolation 
around !  Alas !  me  choonkshee,  my  first-born  child, 
who  lived  here  in  my  heart,  which  is  now  old  and  sad ! 
My  voice  is  hoarse  with  that  wailing  song  which  I  have 
sung  so  many  moons  for  the  bitter  loss  of  thee !  I  have 
no  joy,  no  comfort,  no  hope  of  to-morrow !  The  pale- 
face has  lost  no  child — and  if  he  has  lost  many  children, 
he  does  not  mourn  for  them  all  as  I  do  for  thee !  He 
can  swallow  his  grief;  but  poor  old  squaw's  heart  must 
bleed  till  she  dies  !  Alas,  me  choonkshee  !  Without 
thee  life  is  cheerless  to  me  now !  My  eyes  are  dim  from 
weeping !  I  have  been  wandering  from  the  lakes  to  the 
rivers,  from  the  bluffs  to  the  gorges  in  the  hills,  from 
the  forest  to  the  prairies — ever  wandering  without  a 
warm  teepee  or  home  of  my  own  !  But  I  shall  continue 
to  wander  on,  on,  on  until  I  fall  into  the  great  boiling 
lake  over  which  I  must  pass  before  I  can  touch  thee ! 
Alas,  I  loved  thee  so  much,  and  thou  didst  love  me  so 
dearly  in  return !  My  people  laugh  at  my  grief,  and 
say  thou  wert  only  a  female  child  !  Hadst  thou  been  a 
boy,  a  strong  young  brave,  panting  to  scalp  thine  ene- 


MYSTERY    OF   THE    CURIOUS    MOUND.  103 

mies,  my  heart  could  not  have  loved  thee  more !  Long 
grief  for  a  -daughter  the  Sioux  mother  is  taught  to 
despise — and  yet  I  cannot  relinquish  my  sorrow  for 
thee  !  Thou  \vert  my  light,  my  life  and  my  all !  My 
limbs  are  shrunken  from  age  and  constant  travel ;  but 
whenever  the  full  moon  rises  up  from  beyond  the  ancient 
cavern  of  Wakan-tebee,  where  lie  the  bones  of  the  illustri- 
ous Naudowessies,  thy  great  warrior  forefathers,  here  I 
shall  place  another  round  blue  stone  brought  from  be- 
neath the  singing  waters  of  Minneineeopa,  in  which,  like 
the  young  elks,  thou  didst  so  fondly  love  to  play! 
Hither  I  have  brought  a  stone  at  every  full  moon  since 
angry  Wakan  took  thee  away— for  the  moon  was  rising 
full  at  the  very  moment  I  saw  thy  warm  lips  turn  to 
clay !  Many  moons  have  come  and  gone  since  that  sad 
hour,  and  many  stones  are  now  piled  up  here !  Thy 
bones — the  bones  of  my  first-born  child — are  carefully 
hid  away  in  the  rock,  down  beneath  this  pile  of  stones, 
and  the  ugly  wolves  cannot  gnaw  them  with  their  sharp 
teeth !  Alas,  me  choonkshee !  I  cannot  eat  when  I 
think  of  thee  !  I  have  brought  thee  ofttimes  many 
choice  things  !  In  the  spring,  young  ducks ;  in  the  sum- 
mer, sweet  berries !  Sugar  I  have  begged  and  stolen 
from  the  white  man's  store  to  gladden  thy  pretty 
tongue !  Ribbons  of  red  and  yellow,  and  green  and 
blue,  and  handkerchiefs  of  beautiful  design,  I  have 
pilfered  from  the  white  woman's  grand  teepee !  All 
these  things  I  have  gathered  together  for  thee!  But 
the  Chippeway  dogs  come  by  stealth  and  tear  them 
from  thy  grave !  All  thy  playmates  have  died  long 
ago !  The  wild  crows  have  eaten  the  parched  corn  I 
placed  here !  Many  snows  have  covered  thee  o'er ! 
The  keen  frosts  of  many  winters  have  hardened  the 
earth,  and  howling  storms  of  wind  and  rain  have  swept 


104  A   BALM   FOK   SOEEOW. 

across  the  hill  with  doleful  requiems  to  make  thy  rest- 
ing-place dreary  and  wild !  But  no  grass  nor  flowers 
shall  mock  thy  decay !  While  I  live  this  mound  shall 
be  sacred  to  thee ;  and,  like  my  heart,  sleep  in  sadness 
that  is  forever !  Alas,  me  choonkshee  !  I  am  weary  of 
life,  and  long  to  come  and  lie  with  thee  here !" 

At  this  juncture,  I  succeed  in  silencing  her  lamenta- 
tion by  the  offer  of  a  ten-cent  currency  stamp  with  an 
articulation  of  the  word,  "  Kosh-popee  !" 

"  Kosh-popee  !"  she  echoes  in  response.  And  reach- 
ing out  one  of  her  horny  claws  to  clutch  the  money, 
with  the  other  she  endeavors  to  wipe  the  tears  out  of 
her  eyes. 

What  a  sudden  change  in  her  manner  has  been  pro- 
duced by  the  acquisition  of  kosh-popec  !  One  would 
imagine  to  see  the  complete  transition  of  her  mind  from 
the  bitterest  grief  to  emphatic  manifestations  of  joy,  that 
kosh-popee  was  the  surest  balm  for  the  sorrows  of  a  sav- 
age breast. 

Rising  to  her  feet,  she  quickly  adjusts  her  blanket 
and  slings  back  her  coarse  matted  hair,  with  a  vehement 
grunt,  in  prelude  to  a  declaration  of  willingness  to  do 
anything  or  to  go  anywhere.  I  take  advantage  of  her 
obliging  humor  and  suggest  how  she  might  at  once 
guide  me  through  the  uncertain  path  to  the  public  high- 
way. 

"  Injun  no  go  round !  White  man  too  much  fraid 
him  fall.  Injun  go  down  there  /" 

She  points  into  the  frightful  gorge  over  which  I  sat 
so  long  in  ignorance  of  my  perilous  position  !  She  can 
not  mean  that  a  safe  descent  is  practicable  through  the 
yawning  abyss  ?  It  is  nearly  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  liver !  And  yet  she  insists  that  I  must  follow.  I 
assure  her  that  I  am  very  much  obliged  for  the  invita- 


STBANGE    BELIEFS.  105 

tion,  but  at  the  same  time  respectfully  decline  to  break 
my  neck. 

Smiling  at  my  trepidation,  she  further  astonishes  me 
by  promptly  offering  to  carry  me  down  upon  her  back ! 
The  proposition  is  so  very  absurd  that  I  try  to  laugh. 
But  I  seldom  can  laugh  in  a  dream.  If  I  do,  it  is  sure 
to  wake  me  up.  I  fancy  myself  upon  her  shoulders, 
while  she  is  climbing  down  the  almost  perpendicular 
precipice  at  our  feet;  but  the  picture  is  too  awkward 
and  thrilling  for  my  contemplation ;  and  I  ask  her  if  she 
is  not  afraid  of  death.  She  shrugs  her  shoulder  and 
seems  to  think  the  question  too  trifling  for  serious  con- 
sideration. 

Where  does  she  expect  to  go  when  she  dies  ?  Her 
answer  is  a  prolonged  grunt.  Has  she  any  idea  of  God  ? 
Oh,  yes — many  !  She  reveres  everything  incomprehen- 
sible, which,  in  the  language  of  her  people,  is  called 
walcan — signifying  "  sacred."  She  believes  that  a  spirit 
inhabits  every  natural  object,  from  the  little  pebbles 
strewn  along  the  margins  of  the  lake  and  the  banks  of 
the  river,  to  the  twinkling  stars  and  fixed  planets  in  the 
sky.  She  believes  that  articles  owned  by  a  man  is 
wakan  after  his  death,  but  not  so  with  those  left  by  a 
woman.  If  she  sees  any  one  with  the  toothache,  she 
recommends  an  appeal  to  the  spirit  of  a  worm  or  of  a 
woodpecker  concealed  within  the  tooth.  A  cough 
comes  from  the  machinations  of  the  sacred  men  through 
goose-down  or  buffalo-hair.  It  is  sinful  to  run  a  sharp 
instrument  into  a  piece  of  meat,  and  equally  wicked  to 
cut  a  stick  of  wood  taken  from  the  fire.  To  smoke  a 
pipe  with  a  black  stem  would  bring  evil  upon  a  woman ; 
and  ill  fortune  would  lie  in  the  path  of  a  man  wearing  a 
woman's  moccasins.  And  to  throw  gunpowder  in  the 
fire  would  be  a  great  crime  ! 
5* 


Moonlight  View  of  an  Ancient  Naudowessie  Burial  Place,  for- 
merly on  the  verge  of  that  Great  Bluff  above  the  Cavern  of 
Wakan-tebee,  and  overlooking  the  Mississippi  River,  near 
the  site  of  St.  Paul 


LAND    WHERE    SPIRITS   DWELL.  1Q7 

I  find  many  strange  beliefs  in  the  old  creature's  heart 
and  head.  Instead  of  only  one  soul,  she  imagines  that 
she  has/era?-/  When  she  dies  (if  she  ever  should  die), 
one  of  her  souls  will  go  with  some  article  which  she  has 
worn,  until  a  friend  can  throw  it  into  the  Chippeway 
country;  one  will  remain  with  her  body  to  guard  it 
from  injury ;  one  will  enter  the  form  of  a  child  or  of  a 
dog ;  and  one  will  go  into  the  happy  land  where  only 
good  spirits  dwell ! 

She  has  no  fear  of  punishment  hereafter  for  her  sins, 
nor  does  she  expect  future  reward  for  the  good  acts  of 
her  life ! 

That  happy  land,  where  the  good  spirits  dwell,  is 
somewhere  across  a  wide  lake  of  boiling  water!  An 
old  squaw,  like  herself,  is  sitting  in  the  sand  upon  the 
other  side,  steadying  the  end  of  a  slender  pole,  along 
which  the  souls  have  to  climb  in  order  to  reach  the 
celestial  shore !  Warriors  with  scars  from  wounds  in 
battle  can  easily  walk  the  slender  pole.  Papooses  with 
blue  veins  are  carried  across  by  the  breeze.  Many  slip 
off  the  pole  in  trying  to  pass  over,  and  they  sink  into 
the  boiling  water  to  be  heard  of  no  more. 

She  does  not  esteem  an  honest  person  any  better  than 
a  thief  and  a  liar !  But  if  a  woman  commits  suicide, 
she  will  be  compelled  to  drag  a  pole  fastened  to  her 
feet — and  in  her  wanderings  through  the  happy  land,  if 
the  pole  should  break  down  the  growing  corn,  the  spirits 
may  beat  her  with  heavy  bludgeons. 

When  her  parents  lost  a  child,  the  father  went  and 
killed  a  Chippeway !  When  her  mother  died,  he  went 
and  killed  two  enemies  !  And  when  her  father  expired, 
their  friends  came  and  wrapped  the  corpse  in  his  best 
clothes.  Then  one  of  them  harangued  the  spirits,  while 
another  enumerated  all  his  virtues.  Smearing  their 


108  SANGUINARY   AFFECTION. 

faces  with  a  black  pigment,  they  uttered  loud  lamenta- 
tions, and  cut  and  lacerated  their  bodies  with  their 
finger-nails  and  with  sharp-edged  fragments  of  stone. 

Instead  of  putting  the  corpse  into  the  ground,  they 
laid  it  upon  a  high  scaffold,  with  the  scalps  of  enemies, 
and  food  and  other  articles,  which  his  spirit  was  fond  of 
while  in  the  body.  When  the  flesh  had  dried  up  or 
fallen  from  the  skeleton,  then  it  was  deposited  in  the 
earth,  and  stakes  driven  around  the  spot,  to  protect  it 
from  wolves.  She  is  very  communicative,  and  reveals 
much  that  I  never  knew  before.  She  has  lived  so  many 
moons  that  she  stopped  counting  a  long  time  ago. 

Did  she  ever  love? 

A  long  sigh  implies  more  than  words  can  tell !  She 
was  once  a  maiden.  To  see  her  now,  that  would  seem 
almost  impossible.  The  son  of  a  Chippeway  chief  loved 
her  when  she  was  young,  and  she  loved  him  in  return. 
But  she  belonged  to  the  Sioux,  who  were  eternally  at 
war  with  the  Chippeways.  There  was  a  temporary 
peace,  and  her  lover  would  soon  take  her  to  his  teepee. 
He  was  covering  one  with  choice  skins,  and  when  it  was 
completed  they  would  be  very  happy. 

Then  a  band  of  Sioux  killed  a  Chippeway  mother  and 
her  child  !  That  was  the  signal  for  another  war.  The 
Chippeways  surprised  the  village  of  Shakopee,  where  she 
lived  when  a  girl.  Her  lover  was  among  the  infuriated 
invaders,  and  she  and  he  met  in  the  conflict.  He  raised 
his  hatchet,  but  paused  an  instant  to  gaze  at  her  up- 
turned face,  while  she  begged  for  her  life  and  implored 
him  to  make  her  his  captive ! 

No  !  he  had  sworn  to  kill  every  man,  woman  and  child 
among  the  Sioux  !  She  must  die  !  And,  without  regard- 
ing her  cries  for  mercy,  he  seized  her  long,  black  hair 
and  ruthlessly  gashed  her  forehead  in  execution  of  his 


SCALPS   AND   LOVE.  109 

savage  purpose.  Another  instant,  and  she  would  fall  a 
bleeding  corpse  beneath  the  feet  of  the  warriors  who 
were  yelling  in  delirious  fury  around  them !  Closing 
her  eyes  in  despair,  she  sank  upon  her  knees  to  die ! 
But  she  was  permitted  to  live.  The  strong  arm  of  a 
young  Sioux  saved  her.  With  a  heavy,  sharp-edged 
stone  he  dashed  out  the  brains  of  her  merciless  lover, 
and  then  quickly  tore  the  scalp  from  his  head ! 

When  the  battle  was  over,  and  the  invading  Chippe- 
ways  were  driven  back  into  their  own  country,  her  pre- 
server brought  the  scalp  that  he  had  torn  from  her 
lover's  head.  It  was  all  reeking  with  gore,  and  he  held 
it  up  so  that  she  could  see.  Then  he  told  her  that  he 
wanted  a  wife.  If  she  would  accept  him  for  her  master, 
and  ever  after  be  his  slave,  she  might  have  the  trophy 
to  decorate  their  teepee ! 

She  did  not  shudder  at  the  ghastly  scalp,  nor  did  she 
recoil  from  his  wooing  embrace. 

Sioux  maidens  never  were  anything  more  than  sav- 
ages of  the  feminine  gender.  This  always  has  been  my 
opinion — and  when  I  hear  her  enthusiastically  talk  of 
scalps  and  love,  I  feel  satisfied  with  my  previous  im- 
pression. All  those  uncivilized  maidens  of  the  forest 
and  the  prairie,  described  as  angelic  heroines  divine,  by 
overly  sentimental  writers  who  compose  epic  legend, 
are  after  all  merely  creatures  of  imagination  to  delight 
credulously  dreamy  minds ! 

Doubtless  this  antiquated  squaw  was  quite  as  lovely 
as  the  fairest  of  her  tribe,  when  in  the  bloom  of  youth ; 
and  yet  she  tells  me  she  reached  forth  her  hand  and 
took  that  ghastly  scalp  without  a  pang  of  grief  or  a 
thrill  of  horror !  And  I  presume  that  her  eyes  were 
accustomed  to  seeing  fresh  scalps  dripping  with  blood, 
and  her  ears  might  have  often  heard  the  night-winds 


110  A  MOTHER'S  SUPERSTITION. 

rattling  through  a  string  of  them  all  dried  with  time,  as 
they  swung  upon  a  rawhide  thong  near  the  door  of  her 
father's  teepee ! 

She  accepted  her  preserver's  offer  of  marriage.  The 
nuptial  ceremony  was  in  accordance  with  the  simple 
custom  of  her  tribe.  Together  with  their  friends,  they 
sat  down  upon  the  grassy  hill-side,  and  presently  arose 
united  by  the  formal  compact  which  they  deemed  bind- 
ing for  life. 

It  was  her  first-born  child  whose  remains  now  lie 
buried  among  the  rocks  beneath  that  great  pile  of  round 
blue  stones.  And  now  she  begins  to  rock  herself  again, 
and  to  moan,  "  Me  choonkshee !  me  choonkshee  !" 

I  administer  more  kosh-popee,  and  she  receives  it 
with  repeated  grunts  and  a  prodigious  grin.  Kosh- 
popee  is  an  elixir — a  charm !  For  ten  cents,  she  will 
forget  all  her  sorrows.  But  one  other  balm  has  more 
efficacy  with  her  than  money.  She  loves  minne-wakan, 
or  whisky,  better  than  anything  else ! 

There  is  one  beautiful  superstition  in  her  half-savage 
breast.  She  believes  that  a  mother's  spirit  is  always 
with  an  absent  child  when  it  thinks  of  her,  and  that  a 
pain  in  her  heart  signifies  the  agony  or  the  misfortune 
of  a  child  who  is  far  away ! 

She  is  now  impatient  to  depart,  and  significantly 
points  down  into  the  gorge,  as  if  to  inquire  whether  I 
am  ready. 

No — not  down  there!  I  perceive  a  less  precipitous 
ravine  further  along,  and  perhaps  we  can  prudently  risk 
that.  She  pretends  to  know  every  inch  of  the  rocks  all 
the  way  down  to  the  base  of  the  bluff. 

But  can  I  trust  her?  Possibly  I  can!  Yet  it  is  a 
question  of  doubt  in  my  own  mind.  I  have  been  told 
that  she  is  an  inveterate  liar ! 


AN   IMAGINARY   FALL.  Ill 

The  moonlight  discloses  something  like  a  safe  foot- 
ing ;  and  I'll  venture  down  with  her.  She  instructs  me 
how  to  lean  upon  her  left  shoulder,  while  she  goes 
before. 

There  are  certain  clefts  and  knobs  where  I  can  place 
my  feet.  They  are  all  visible  to  her  eyes,  and  she  will 
point  them  out  as  we  climb  down  ! 

Nevertheless,  I  do  not  begin  the  descent  entirely  free 
from  suspicion  of  possible  disaster.  She  laughs  at  my 
fear,  and  tells  me  to  "  look  much  big,"  and  follow ! 

Down  we  go !  Two  or  three  hundred  feet  without 
any  mishap,  and  I  begin  to  felicitate  myself  on  a  safe 
performance  of  the  perilous  undertaking,  when  a  pro- 
jecting knob  which  she  is  standing  upon,  suddenly 
snaps  off!  Fortunately  for  me,  I  instinctively  hug  the 
rock  and  release  all  further  claim  upon  her  shoulder ! 

A  moment  or  so  she  totters  on  a  precarious  balance 
in  the  air,  and  then  plunges  down  among  the  broken 
rocks — shouting  out  to  me  as  she  goes : 

"  Old  Injun  squaw  no  care  much  for  one  big  fall !" 

My  footing  is  also  giving  way  !  I  feel  it  going  now ! 
A  dizziness  comes  over  me ;  and  down,  down  I  tumble, 
headlong  to Hah,  I  awake ! 

Some  one  is  knocking  at  my  chamber  door.  Who's 
there  ? 

The  voice  of  the  chambermaid  replies:  "Dinner's 
ready.  Are  you  going  to  sleep  all  day  ?" 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


THE  chambermaid  did  not 
jest  when  she  said  it  was  din- 
ner-time. I  perceive  the  sun 
shining  in  at  my  window  which 
faces  the  west ;  and  the  hands 
of  my  watch  indicate  ten  min- 
utes past  two. 

Having  fasted  since  yester- 
day   afternoon,    my    appetite 
craves     immediate     attention. 
Twenty  minutes  is  the  time  I 
usually    devote   to  toilet   per- 
formances for  the  day,  but  upon  this  occasion,  the  entire 
programme  concludes  somewhat  sooner. 

"  Dinner  from  one  to  three !"  I  mentally  repeat, 
while  hurrying  to  get  down  stairs.  And  entering  the 
dining-room,  "Luke"  produces  that  indispensable  cup 
of  tea,  which  I  would  not  exchange  for  the  best  bottle 
of  wine  in  the  cellar. 

But  Brigadier  General  Festivus,  with  those  extremely 
elaborate  shoulder-straps,  sitting  in  the  opposite  chair, 
sipping  his  champagne,  eyes  me  compassionately  and 


114  SHOULDER-STRAPS   AND   WINE. 

proposes  that  I  shall  join  him.  I  respectfully  decline, 
and  at  the  same  time  wonder  why  he  persists  in  soaking 
three  slices  of  roasted  venison  with  a  quart  of  effervescent 
grape-juice  and  alcohol,  when  his  object  in  visiting  Min- 
nesota was  to  recuperate  his  health.  How  absurd  it  is, 
while  complaining  of  ill-health  and  incurring  any  amount 
of  trouble  and  expense  for  recovery,  to  deliberately  and 
persistently  exasperate  the  functions  of  life.  Now,  this 
distinguished  military  gentleman  has  been  told  that  he 
is  consumptive  ;  and  his  "  family  physician  "  recommends 
a  gentle  stimulant,  a  generous  diet — and  a  trip  to  St 
Paul !  What  he  wants  the  stimulant  for,  I  can  not  even 
guess. 

How  wise  some  "family  physicians"  are,  and  how 
many  patients  they  fail  to  cure  !  I  wonder  if  the  Gen- 
eral innocently  imagines  that  his  quart  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne is  merely  a  gentle  stimulative  ?  And  I  think  that 
gorging  three  large  slices  of  venison,  with  an  extraordi- 
nary quantity  of  vegetables,  and  a  perfect  load  of  dessert, 
may  be  estimated  as  unmistakable  symptoms  of  omnivor- 
ous inclination.  If  such  a  diet  is  requisite  to  eradicate 
the  germs  of  consumption,  it  would  be.  entirely  too  ex- 
pensive for  people  of  ordinary  means  who  are  obliged  to 
eat  at  some  of  the  hotels  kept  on  the  "  European  plan," 
in  New  York  City.  But  here  at  the  International,  an 
inveterate  glutton  may  devour  all  he  wants  without 
extra  cost.  Wine  is  extra  everywhere  in  the  United 
States. 

And  General  Festivus  really  has  an  ugly  cough,  which 
seems  to  worry  his  wife,  who  suspects  nothing  amiss  in 
the  wine.  Fortunately,  she  is  not  inclined  to  be  con- 
sumptive herself,  and  therefore  eats  very  moderately  and 
avoids  the  sparkling  liquid  of  the  bottle. 

But  now  she  sniffs  the  delicious  odor  of  my  second  cup 


THE   TWO   CANOES.  115 

of  tea,  and  inquires  of  Luke  if  she  can  have  some,  too. 
Certainly  she  can.  Whereupon  she  does  not  hesitate  to 
express  her  delight  by  bestowing  upon  my  humble  self 
a  sweet  little  smile.  The  General  has  a  charming  wife ! 

But  I  have  eaten  all  I  require,  and  bow  myself  from 
the  table,  while  the  General  is  pouring  out  the  last  of 
his  champagne,  and  Mrs.  F.  sips  her  third  cup  of  tea. 
She'll  feel  happier  than  her  husband  an  hour  hence ! 

Meanwhile  I  shall  go  and  smoke;  and  quietly  resume 
the  discursive  retrospection  which  occurred  in  my  pro- 
tracted reverie  last  night  over  there  on  top  of  the  great 
bluff  beneath  that  lonely  pine. 

I  left  the  long  Ox-cart  train,  and  the  male  and  female 
equestrians  in  motion,  with  their  flag  flying,  at  early 
dawn  on  the  second  day  of  their  journey,  and  might 
review  a  great  many  pleasant  and  several  irksome  inci- 
dents which  they  encountered  before  arriving  at  Men- 
dota — but  shall  reserve  all  that  for  similar  scenes  in  a 
subsequent  chapter.  At  present  I  shall  follow  a  couple 
of  canoes  that  were  launched  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Minnesota  River,  the  next  morning  after  the  unique 
caravan  came  to  its  destination. 

Each  of  the  canoes  was  managed  by  an  Indian  squaw ; 
and  one  of  those  squaws  was  no  less  a  personage  than 
Old  Betz,  the  antediluvian  female  about  whom  I  had 
such  a  singular  dream  last  night.  In  her  canoe  sat 
Madame  Zorah,  and  Leoriore  and  Major  Levasseur. 
The  other  contained  Tashae  and  Florinda,  and  jealous 
Kaskadino. 

After  paddling  up  near  the  ferry  at  Fort  Snelling,  to 
look  at  that  quaint  fortification,  they  softly  glided 
down  the  stream ;  and  in  an  hour  or  so,  the  whole  party 
landed  upon  the  spot  where  the  depot  of  the  St.  Paul 
and  Pacific  Railway  stands  at  the  present  time.  They 


116  OLD   BETZ   AND   LEONOKE. 

came  down  to  visit  "  Carver's  Cave,"  or  the  Cavern  of 
Wakan  Tebee,  which  Major  Levasseur  had  heard  much 
about,  but  never  seen. 

But  Old  Betz  insisted  that  they  should  first  explore 
the  settlement  of  "Pig's  Eye."  And,  without  any  per- 
mission on  the  part  of  her  passengers,  she  put  them 
ashore.  The  squaws  pulled  their  canoes  out  of  the 
water,  and  with  the  excursionists  walked  up  hill. 

Old  Betz  had  already  attached  herself  to  Leonore, 
whom  she  pretended  to  like  because  of  a  very  great 
resemblance  (?)  to  her  own  daughter,  who  died  a  great 
many  moons  ago — and  I  presume  the  same  one,  accord- 
ing to  my  dream,  who  was  buried  beneath  the  curious 
mound  of  round  blue  stones  upon  the  bluff.  Leonore 
was  not  displeased  with  the  affectionate  declarations  of 
the  old  squaw,  but  on  the  contrary  she  really  evinced 
her  gratitude  by  presenting  the  crone  with  a  little  fancy 
reticule,  which  her  dear  mother  had  made  for  her  and 
taught  her  to  carry  at  her  waist,  in  accordance  with  a 
Parisian  fashion  then  out  of  date. 

Old  Betz,  jubilant  with  delight,  was  more  eager  than 
ever  to  become  the  sole  proprietress  of  every  article 
that  Leonore  had  upon  her  person.  However,  as  Ta- 
shae's  longing  eyes  were  continually  upon  the  lovely 
girl,  he  witnessed  the  squaw's  greed  of  acquisition,  and 
at  once  put  a  veto  upon  any  further  bounty. 

"  Oh,  let  the  poor  creature  have  this  little  bit  of  rib- 
bon," persisted  Leonore,  completely  fascinated  with  the 
deceitful  crawling  and  the  affectionate  grimaces  of  her 
insatiate  patron. 

"Augh!"  grunted  Kaskadino.  "Give  Injun  squaw 
little,  and  she  want  all  /" 

What  Kaskadino  said  was  true.  But  Old  Betz  made 
a  sign  to  him  in  response,  that  signified  how  much  she 


FLORESTDA   EECOGNIZES   PARRANT.  117 

would  like  to  have  her  hard,  stiff  fingers  about  his 
throat.  And  a  frown  from  Florinda,  in  testimony  of 
her  disapprobation  of  the  half-breed's  ill-natured  insinu- 
ation, not  only  gratified  the  old  squaw's  feelings,  but  at 
once  established  a  bond  of  friendship  between  them. 

It  is  said  that  Indians  never  entertain  a  sincere  friend- 
ship for  pale-faced  companions ;  but  that  assertion  is  not 
established  by  facts,  when  the  latter  sympathize  with 
the  former  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  revenge. 
And  in  the  instance  here  cited,  Old  Betz  was  quickly 
ready  to  hazard  her  own  life  for  Florinda,  if  such  serv- 
ice should  be  required.  Kaskadino  saw  it  all,  and 
scornfully  turned  away  with  his  characteristic  grunt. 

Tashae  and  Madame  were  ahead,  and  Levasseur  and 
Leonore  followed  them,  leaving  Kaskadino,  Florinda, 
and  the  two  squaws  together  in  the  rear. 

Standing  near  the  path  was  a  shanty  where  whisky 
could  be  had,  and  Kaskadino  dropped  in  to  get  a  dram. 
Florinda  looked  to  see  whither  he  was  going,  when  sud- 
denly she  beheld  something  which  caused  her  to  stop 
short  and  stare  into  the  shanty !  She  appeared  greatly 
astonished  at  what  she  saw,  and  held  her  breath  in  won- 
der and  doubt. 

Old  Betz  misinterpreted  her  emotion,  and  kindly  in- 
quired if  she  was  thirsting  for  minne-wakan.  Florinda 
made  no  reply,  but  kept  her  eyes  bent  upon  some  object 
inside  the  whisky-shanty,  until  Kaskadino  emerged 
with  a  grunt  of  contempt  and  proceeded  to  ascend  the 
hill.  By  that  time  Florinda  was  ready  to  speak ;  and, 
pointing  within  the  shanty,  she  asked : 

"  Who  is  that  man  ?" 

Imitating  the  "boo  hoo"  of  swine,  Old  Betz  jocularly 
closed  one  of  her  fiery  black  optics  with  the  pressure  of 
her  thumb. 


THE    WIIISKY-SELLEK   SUBPKISED.  119 

"  No,  no !"  pettishly  exclaimed  Florinda.  "  The  man 
there  behind  the  bar.  The  slender  man  with  light  hair. 
Who  is  he?" 

"  Boo-hoo !"  repeated  Old  Betz,  with  a  chuckling  at- 
tempt at  laughter  and  two  or  three  sharp  and  decisive 
nods  by  way  of  an  emphasizing  assurance  that  what  she 
endeavored  to  explain  was  really  true. 

"Bah!"  snarled  Florinda.  "I  allude  to  the  man 
with  a  defective  eye !" 

"  Augh !     Squaw  mean  one-eye,  too !" 

But  Florinda  could  not  understand  Old  Betz's  an- 
swer ;  and,  after  a  moment's  thought,  she  motioned  for 
her  to  "  go  on." 

The  whisky-shanty  was  seldom  empty;  but  just  at 
that  moment  the  customers  were  all  absent,  leaving  the 
proprietor  entirely  alone — and  Florinda  slowly  but  reso- 
lutely walked  in,  with  her  eyes  fixed  searchingly  upon 
his  face.  Raising  his  head,  their  gaze  met. 

The  man  was  seriously  startled ;  but,  quickly  recover- 
ing his  natural  placidity  of  demeanor,  he  tried  to  say  in 
a  careless  voice : 

"  Well,  ma'am,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  I  can  fill  a 
bottle  for  you.  My  jugs  are  all  gone." 

"You  do  not  know  me,  then?"  sneered  Florinda, 
while  advancing  close  to  him,  and  thrusting  her  face 
very  close  to  his. 

"  Look  again,  sir !  The  sight  of  your  good  eye  was 
sharp  enough  when  you  held " 

"  Yes ;  I  believe  I  do  know  you  now !"  quickly  inter- 
rupted the  man.  There  was  a  slight  tremor  in  his 
voice — and  doubtlessly  a  thrill  of  emotion,  perceptible 
only  to  himself.  "  But  I  thought  you  were  dead !"  he 
added,  with  stammering  articulation.  "They  told 


120  A   MYSTERY    UNEXPLAINED. 

"  No  matter  what  they  told  you,"  interposed  Florinda. 
"  You  see  me  here  now  !  And,  considering  the  cir- 
cumstances, I  am  resolved  that  you  shall  loan  me  a 
little  money.  I  presume  you  understand  what  that 
means !" 

"  I  don't  think  I  can — no  how.  Money  is  awful  skerse 
in  this  here  part  of  the  country." 

"Then  I  shall  denounce  you!  I  need  not  suggest 
what  the  result  will  be." 

The  man  was  frightened  pale  at  her  words,  and  in  a 
husky  voice  meekly  replied : 

"  Believe  me.  I  don't  lie  any  more.  I'm  awful  poor ! 
He's  rich,  and  always  got  plenty !  Ask  him  /" 

"  He  is  dead !  I  need  aid  from  some  other  source 
now.  It  is  very  fortunate  that  I  have  discovered  your 
hiding-place  just  at  this  time.  Come,  the  money !" 

"  Hah !  He  is  dead,  hey !  Then  I  don't  care  a  cent ! 
I  can  snap  my  finger  in  your  face  !  Ha,  ha !  He's  dead, 
and  nobody'll  believe  you  /" 

And  the  man  did  snap  his  fingers.  He  was  highly 
elated  at  the  death  of  some  one.  "  Go — go !"  he  con- 
tinued, with  a  suddenly  assumed  dignity  that  was  entire- 
ly unnatural  to  him.  "I  want  to  be  free!  You  clear 
out !  You're  nothing  to  me,  no  how — and  you  can't 
harm  me  in  no  way  at  all  now !  Go !  This  is  not  a  nice 
place  for  sich  ladies  as  you've  been !" 

"  Not  so  fast,  if  you  please !"  retorted  Florinda,  with 
increased  determination.  "  Your  memory  is  still  good, 
I  presume ;  and  it  is  scarcely  possible  that  you  have  so 

soon  forgotten  the  existence  of .  Ah !  You  are 

changing  your  expression,  and  do  not  look  so  defiant 
now.  A  brave  man  you  are,  to  quail  at  the  mention 
of  so  trifling  an  object  as  that.  I  once  told  you  that  I 
intended  to  remind  you  of  it  some  day  when  you  least 


AN    UNUSUAL    CONFLICT.  121 

expected.  I  have  carried  it  with  me  ever  since — and 
can  produce  it  any  time !" 

"  Let  me  have  it,  then !"  he  roughly  demanded,  and 
approaching  as  if  he  would  take  it  by  force. 

"  I  am  not  a  fool !"  sneered  Florinda,  unconsciously 
pressing  one  hand  against  her  bosom  and  involuntarily 
shielding  the  object  of  contention. 

"  Ah,  I  see  where  it  is  !  In  your  dress !"  exclaimed 
the  excited  man,  fumbling  desperately  in  his  pocket. 
"  This  knife  will  open  the  way !  Let  me  have  it,  or  you 
die!" 

They  were  already  in  conflict  when  the  great,  horny 
fingers  of  Old  Betz,  who  had  been  listening  outside  the 
door,  violently  grasped  the  man's  hair  from  behind,  and 
threw  him  sprawling  upon  the  floor.  And  then,  with 
the  simple  ejaculation  of  "Hugh!"  she  urged  Florinda 
to  go  away. 

"Not  yet,"  cried  Florinda.  "I  must  have  three 
hundred  dollars  from  him  before  I  go  a  step !"  She 
then  slammed  to  the  door  and  bolted  it  to  prevent 
intrusion. 

"Will  that  satisfy  you?"  panted  the  fallen  man, 
completely  vanquished  and  eager  to  embrace  a  sudden 
gleam  of  hope.  "If  I  give  you  all  that  much  money, 
will  you  leave  this  place  and  never  come  back  here  no 
more,  long  as  you  live  ?" 

Florinda  thought  an  instant,  and  then  said:  "Give 
me  the  money,  and  I  will  surely,  leave  on  the  steamer 
going  down  the  river  to-morrow.  But  I  shall  keep  that 
to  remember  you  by  !" 

"Your  life  may  be  shorter'n  you  'xpect,"  he  mut- 
tered— but  not  quite  loud  enough  for  her  to  hear. 
Upon  regaining  his  feet,  he  audibly  replied,  "  You'shl 
have  the  money.  I  can't  give  it  to  you  now ;  but  meet 


122  IN    CARVERS    CAVE. 

me  there  by  the  square  rock,  below  Mendota,  at  sun- 
down, and  I'll  bring  you  three  hundred  dollars  all  in 
gold — every  cent  of  it — sure's  I  live  !" 

Leonore's  voice  was  then  heard  calling,  and  Florinda 
left  the  shanty,  after  agreeing  to  the  man's  proposition. 
Old  Betz  followed;  but  not  until  she  had  obtained  a 
drink  of  whisky,  which  she  demanded  of  the  crest-fallen 
proprietor  in  ratification  of  the  treaty  just  concluded 
between  him  and  Florinda.  Then  shrugging  her  shoul- 
ders, and  uttering  that  inevitable  grunt,  she  joined  the 
party  as  they  were  descending  the  hill.  And  when 
they  repassed  the  whisky-shanty,  to  embark  in  their 
canoes,  the  proprietor  hid  himself  from  sight. 

And  then  the  excursionists  floated  down  to  the  edge 
of  Dayton's  Bluff,  where  they  once  more  stepped  ashore. 
They  were  then  near  the  entrance  of  the  great  Cavern 
which  Levasseur  desired  so  much  to  see.  Old  Betz 
seemed  perfectly  familiar  with  the  interior  of  the  won- 
derful place.  The  mouth  was  about  ten  feet  wide  and 
five  feet  high ;  and  she  led  them  through  into  the  grand 
chamber,  which  extended  a  considerable  distance  over  a 
floor  of  beautiful  fine  sand,  to  a  lake  of  transparent 
water.  The  Major  threw  a  stone  into  the  lake  with  all 
his  might,  and,  from  the  loud  noise  it  made  splashing  in 
the  water,  he  imagined  the  expanse  of  distance  to  be 
very  large.  But  the  darkness  deterred  them  from  see- 
ing far. 

Near  the  mouth  of  .the  cavern,  they  could  perceive 
many  curious  hieroglyphics  of  ancient  origin,  some  of 
them  almost  entirely  concealed  with  growing  moss. 
And  the  cabalistic  designs  were  inscribed  upon  walls  of 
a  peculiar  stone,  which  might  be  easily  dug  out  with  a 
small  knife.  The  singular  formation  was  more  like 
pressed  sand  than  solid  stone. 


PAREANT   LEFT   TO    DIE!  ]23 

Old  Betz  said  that  the  bones  of  her  ancestors  were 
lying  in  a  mound  above  the  cavern ;  and  she  took  them 
around  to  a  path  by  which  they  ascended  the  bluff  and 
there  saw  the  old  cemetery  of  the  ancient  Naudowessies. 
She  pointed  out  the  resting-place  of  several  great  chiefs, 
and  particularly  designated  the  exact  spot  where  the 
remains  of  her  own  father  were  laid  several  generations 
ago.  For  that  information  the  covetous  old  guide 
wanted  extra  pay.  Indeed,  she  expected  additional  com- 
pensation at  every  turn.  But  then  a  mere  trifle  at  a 
time  would  appease  her  avaricious  craving. 

It  was  after  sundown  some  time,  and  the  evening 
twilight  would  soon  fade  in  darkness,  when  the  whisky- 
seller  landed  from  a  canoe  half  a  mile  below  Mendota, 
and  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  some  one.  He  finally  en- 
sconced himself  in  a  sandstone  gorge  of  the  bluff,  and 
sat  there  quietly  until  an  Indian,  with  painted  face  and 
soft  step,  emerged  from  concealment  in  the  bushes  a 
short  distance  up  the  stream. 

The  Indian  stealthily  crept  to  the  spot  where  the 
whisky-seller  was  crouching,  and  suddenly  pounced 
upon  him ! 

A  brief  struggle — and  then  the  Indian  left  his  victim 
to  die ! 


CHAPTEE    IX. 


PERHAPS  Kaskadino  was  -an 
unseen  listener  during  the  inter- 
view between  Florinda  and  Par- 
rant,  in  the  shanty  at  Pig's  Eye 
landing.  And  inheriting  the 
stealthy  cunning  of  his  aborigi- 
nal "  ancestoresses,"  it  was  quite 
natural  for  him  to  make  the 
most  of  an  available  opportuni- 
ty. Therefore,  while  the  whisky- 
seller  was  ambushed  in  anticipa- 
tion of  success  in  some  design 
upon  Florinda,  the  half  red-skin  pounced  upon  him  to 
get  possession  of  his  gold.  Rascal  and  rogue  both 
struggled  desperately  together.  But  the  assailant  was 
vigorous  and  strong,  and  his  victim  at  best  rather  feeble 
in  muscular  sti-ength.  The  result  was  fatal  to  the  lat 
ter ;  and  the  former  unintentionally  left  him  for  dead ! 

Kaskadino  then  concealed  the  gold  under  a  broken 
rock,  and  hastened  to  wash  his  face  in  the  river,  intend- 
ing to  immediately  alarm  the  camp  by  an  announcement 
that  he  had  just  found  the  body  of  a  murdered  man. 


126  FRIENDSHIP    OF    OLD    BETZ. 

And  as  Tashae,  his  rival  with  Florinda,  actually  passed 
that  spot  a  short  time  before,  he  would  boldly  accuse 
him  of  the  crime.  Such  an  accusation  would  seem  all 
the  more  probable  when  Tashae's  knife  might  be  found 
with  the  body. 

The  rascal  had  stolen  Tashae's  knife  only  yesterday, 
and  accidentally  lost  it  in  the  struggle  with  Parrant. 
But  there  was  a  witness  to  the  whole  transaction.  Old 
Betz  had  restrained  Florinda  from  a  consummation  of 
her  rash  intention,  by  proposing  to  go  alone  and  bring 
either  the  gold  or  the  whisky-seller  himself  into  the 
camp. 

Florinda  was  naturally  shrewd;  and  yet,  while  the 
experience  of  her  life  had  been  calculated  to  sharpen  her 
sagacity,  she  frequently  allowed  herself  to  be  outwitted. 
She  might  have  surpassed  Madame  Zorah  in  deceit ;  but 
the  latter  was  one  of  those  dauntless  women  whom  we 
sometimes  read  of  and  very  seldom  meet  in  the  every- 
day walks  of  life. 

Personal  fear  never  deterred  Madame  from  confront- 
ing anything  in  human  form.  And  her  recent  acquaint- 
ance with  the  savages  and  half-breeds  of  Selkirk  Colony 
had  thoroughly  familiarized  her  with  rude  and  treach- 
erous people.  Even  Leonore,  the  beautiful  flower  of 
sixteen,  possessed  more  real  courage  than  a  dozen  city 
damsels  all  put  together.  But  Leonore  was  not  inor- 
dinately brave  or  daring  by  nature.  And  though  cir- 
cumstances were  tutoring  her  to  combat  with  and  to 
resist  the  harsh  realities  of  life,  her  manner  was  grace- 
ful, her  voice  soft,  her  touch  gentle,  while  her  laugh  rang 
in  that  silvery  tone  which  rouses  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a 
susceptible  heart. 

Old  Betz  saw  Kaskadino  surprise  Parrant ;  and  after 
he  hid  the  gold,  she  stealthily  took  it  away.  Hastening 


A    LITTLE    CONFUSION.  127 

back  to  the  camp,  she  gave  the  alarm  herself,  and  also 
declared  that  she  had  seen  Kaskadino  kill  a  man  behind 
the  rocks.  But  upon  leading  the  excited  traders  to  the 
place  where  the  supposed  murder  had  been  committed, 
she  was  made  a  butt  for  all  manner  of  sarcasm  and 
verbal  abuse,  in  consequence  of  no  corpse  being  found. 
And  Kaskadino  actually  produced  several  witnesses  to 
prove  that  he  was  with  them  all  the  evening  at  a  place 
which  they  named,  on  the  other  side  of  Mendota.  At 
that  time  lying  was  common  there.  I  can  not  say  how 
it  is  now. 

Kaskadino  was  completely  foiled,  and  Old  Betz  also 
failed  in  her  revenge.  What  then  ? 

Parrant's  body  disappeared ;  but  not  in  his  own 
canoe !  The  next  day,  when  Kaskadino  could  not  find 
the  gold,  he  immediately  suspected  Old  Betz  of  taking 
what  he  had  stolen.  And  she  gave  the  entire  amount 
to  Florinda,  who  went  away  the  following  evening  in 
company  with  Levasseur,  Madame  Zorah  and  Leonore, 
on  board  a  St.  Louis  steamer. 

Poor  Tashae  was  left  in  the  lurch.  Having  brought 
Florinda  down  to  Mendota  at  his  own  expense,  purpose- 
ly to  have  a  pleasant  companion  in  the  tedious  journey 
back  to  Red  River,  he  was  perfectly  amazed  when  she 
suddenly  departed  on  board  the  steamer,  without  pre- 
viously intimating  any  such  intention.  He  was  mad, 
and  Kaskadino  wild. 

There  seemed  to  be  nothing  reliable  in  Florinda's 
affection,  even  after  the  perpetration  of  crime  to  ap- 
pease her  jealousy.  Perhaps  moral  philosophers  are 
wrong  when  they  say  that  the  affection  of  a  woman  at 
thirty-five  or  forty  is  much  stronger  than  the  love  of  a 
girl  but  half  that  age.  And  yet  many  occurrences  of 
peculiarity  might  be  adduced  to  confirm  the  plausibility 


128  UNAVOIDABLE    RESULTS. 

of  their  theory.  Observation  has  revealed  to  me  a  spe- 
cies of  infatuated  •  insanity — a  spasmodic  manifestation 
of  love  or  affection — sometimes  remarkably  intense,  and 
generally  quite  blind,  which  unmarried  females  of  un- 
certain age  and  very  sentimental  predilection,  are  more 
or  less  subject  to.  I  have  also  noticed  that  an  incipient 
paroxysm  of  their  untamed  passions  may  suddenly  be- 
come a  perfect  volcano;  and  then  unaccountably  and 
prematurely  ripen  into  an  iceberg  or  a  hypochondriac 
simoom,  to  finally  dissolve  in  the  sea  of  despair,  or  van- 
ish on  desert  air. 

However,  in  all  probability,  Florinda's  past  history 
may  not  have  been  any  more  interesting  than  that  of 
numerous  other  adventuresses  of  the  same  class.  She 
certainly  had  a  particular  object  in  going  to  Selkirk 
Colony,  and  subsequently  made  a  desperate  effort  to 
get  a  husband.  And  though  deplorably  unsuccessful 
in  that  attempt,  she  rashly  involved  herself  with  Kas- 
kadino  so  as  to  render  the  safety  of  a  protracted  sojourn 
in  the  community  where  he  lived  somewhat  precarious. 
Under  such  circumstances,  perhaps  she  acted  prudently 
in  seeking  a  home  elsewhere. 

And  thus  the  old  story  of  social  depravity  was  re- 
peating itself  in  connection  with  the  early  history  of 
civilization  in  the  vicinity  of  that  beautiful  spot  whei-e 
the  populous  city  of  St.  Paul  now  stands.  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  estimate  the  quantity  of  maledictive  vitupera- 
tion generated  in  the  usually  obdurate  bosom  of  Tashae, 
the  fur-trader,  by  the  total  loss  of  both  Florinda  and 
Leonore.  Xor  need  I  dwell  upon  the  subsequent  con- 
duct of  Kaskadino,  which  clearly  demonstrated  his  fixed 
resolution  to  be  revenged  on  Old  Betz,  if  not  on  any 
one  else. 

Half-breeds  are  sure  to  inherit  some  of  the  direst  pas- 


LOVING   AND   BELOVED.  129 

sions  of  the  Indian  race — but  the  venerable  squaw  was 
full-blooded,  and  she  'displayed  a  greater  degree  of  cun- 
ning than  Kaskadmo  ever  possessed.  She  could  not  be 
outwitted  by  any  number  of  Kaskadinos;  and  conse- 
quently he  went  back  to  the  bosom  of  his  family  at  Sel- 
kirk Colony,  a  wiser  and  a  far  more  disagreeable  hus- 
band and  father  than  he  ever  was  before.  Tashae  also 
journeyed  home  again  in  a  very  melancholy  humor. 

Meanwhile,  Parrant,  the  queer-eyed  whisky-retailer, 
disappeared  from  the  vicinity  of  Im-in-i-jas-ka.  And  he 
would  never  return ! 

Madame  Zorah  and  Leonore  were  going  each  to  fill 
one  of  those  remarkable  destinies  which  are  at  variance 
with  the  course  of  common  events.  The  future  seemed 
full  of  promise ;  but  the  "  boy  god  "  still  had  plenty  of 
arrows  in  his  quiver,  and  at  least  one  more  innocent 
would  eventually  be  added  to  the  Golgotha  of  love ! 

Major  Levasseur,  that  polished  man  of  the  world,  who 
took  them  from  the  Colony,  could  not  deny  himself  the 
pleasure  of  possessing  Leonore's  confiding  heart.  But 
her  grandma  counted  on  good  fortune,  and,  regardless 
of  past  experience,  rashly  allowed  the  tempter  to  ap- 
proach. 

Levasseur  was  no  amateur  in  the  art  of  wooing.  He 
thoroughly  understood  the  female  heart;  and  erelong 
the  beautiful  girl  worshiped  him  more  as  a  god  than  a 
man.  So  handsome,  so  kind,  so  noble  and  so  good ! 
How  could  she  help  giving  him  all  the  pure  love  she 
had  to  bestow  ?  And  her  grandmother  spoke  no  words 
of  warning  until  it  was  too  late. 

They  found  a  temporary  home  in  St.  Louis,  where,  for 

a  time,  Leonore  seemed  very  happy.      Levasseur  was 

there,  and  she  asked  for  nothing  more.     His  caresses 

banished  all  else  from  her  mind.     They  were  soon  to  be 

6* 


130  NUPTIAL    VOWS. 

married ;  and  then  she  would  be  his  wife.  To-mor- 
row— not  to-day  !  But  Madame  said  it  was  dangerous 
to  wait.  He  offered  one  excuse  for  delay,  and  then 
another.  Marriage  there  was  to  be — but  what  of  the 
marriage-day  ? 

Madame  felt  ugly  and  sour,  and  said  something  un- 
unpleasant  for  Levasseur  to  hear.  They  nearly  quar- 
reled, and  Leonore  threw  her  arms  around  his  neck  and 
kissed  him  very  sweetly,  with  words  of  persuasion  that 
he  might  gratify  grandma.  Pure,  simple  girl — she  did 
not  then  fully  comprehend  the  ultimate  necessity  of  such 
a  ceremony  in  the  light  that  grandma  did !  Her  educa- 
tion had  been  very  imperfect  in  many  particulars. 

He  could  not  refuse  her  so  trifling  a  favor ;  and  one 
evening  a  priest  came  to  marry  them. 

Madame  witnessed  the  ceremony,  and  then  signed  a 
paper  which  purported  to  be  executed  in  evidence  of 
their  union. 

Some  months  elapsed,  and  then  Levasseur  went  away 
on  a  journey,  waving  a  kiss  for  his  pretty  one  to  be  of 
good  spirits  until  he  returned  to  caress  her  again. 

They  imagined  that  Levasseur's  journey  must  be  a 
very  long  one,  for  he  did  not  return.  Days  and  weeks 
passed,  and  still  the  idol  of  Leonore's  heai-t  remained 
away !  While  she  sighed  and  wept,  her  grandma  was 
absorbed  in  deep  meditation.  Madame  could  not  weep. 
Her  tears  were  exhausted  long  ago.  Yet  her  brain  was 
alive.  Full  of  thought,  one  day  she  sat  like  a  statue, 
gazing  intently  upon  the  floor  until  the  wrinkles  in  her 
face  seemed  to  expand  with  the  intensity  of  emotion. 
What  she  was  thinking  about  Leonore  did  not  know. 
But  at  length  some  fixed  resolve  inspired  her  to  move. 

Madame  was  not  yet  aware  that  Levasseur's  pedigree 
went  back  to  the  old  Marquis  Dupontavisse.  She  un- 


A    FALSE   PRIEST.  131 

suspectingly  saw  the  grandson  of  her  deceased  noble 
morganatic  husband  take  her  grandchild  for  a  bride ! 
And  by  that  marriage,  what  a  strange  confusion  of  re- 
lationship was  begun  !  A  genealogist  of  great  percep- 
tion and  skill  would  be  required  to  elucidate  the  con- 
sanguineous position  of  Levasseur  and  Leonore  after 
their  matrimonial  union ! 

As  if  moved  by  a  presentiment  of  something  wrong, 
Madame  felt  ill  at  ease  when  the  brief  and  simple  mar- 
riage ceremony  was  over.  A  vague  comprehension  of 
the  technicalities  of  law  suggested  that  the  husband 
might  not  be  effectually  secured,  after  all.  Yet  she 
kept  her  own  thoughts  to  herself;  and  when  Levasseur 
did  not  return,  she  began  to  inquire  of  those  who  were 
supposed  to  know  whither  he  had  gone.  Her  inquiries 
were  useless.  And  then  a  suspicion  entered  her  mind. 
But  Leonore  must  not  know  what  that  suspicion  was. 

Without  even  the  encouragement  of  a  friend's  advice, 
Madame  went  forth  to  pursue  her  inquiries  almost  every 
day ;  and  at  length  she  was  recognized  very  oddly  by 
a  man  in  a  state  of  intoxication,  who  sneeringly  exulted 
in  her  face. 

"  Where's  your  daughter  ?"  he  stupidly  hiccoughed, 
with  his  arm  wrapped  around  an  awning-post  in  the 
highway.  "  I  say,  old  lady,  why  don't  you  reverence 
the  holy  father  who  made  her  and  the  man  she  loved 
flesh  of  one  flesh  and  bone  of  one  bone  ?  Come  hither, 
and  receive  my  blessing.  But  first,  you  must  confess ! 
And  if  you've  got  any  loose  change,  I'll  not  decline  a 
respectable  fee.  A  priest  can't  save  your  wicked  soul 
without  remuneration.  Ha — hie !  No !" 

His  last  articulation  terminated  with  a  violent  surge, 

~       7 

that  loosened  his  arm  from  the  awning-post ;  and  a  de- 
scending gyration  rolled  him  at  her  feet.  "  Here's  my 


TA-TANKA-NAJIN;    or  "Standing  Buffalo."     A  Sioux 

Chief,  and  friend  of  "  Sweet  Corn ;"  both  of  whom 

opposed  the  Massacre  of  'C2. 


THE    INEBRIATE    ATTORNEY. 


133 


card,"  he  muttered,  after  gaining  a  comfortable  position 
in  the  gutter ! 

Madame  snatched  the  card  from  his  nervous  hand, 
and  read  " Phineas  O'Brien,  Attorney  at  Law" — office 
in  such  a  street  and  at  a  designated  number. 

"Is  this  yours?"  she  emphasized,  without  noticing 
the  presence  of  several  persons  who  stopped  to  witness 
the  deplorable  scene. 

"  I  am  the  son  of  Michael  O'Brien,  and  I  practice  law 
in  the  State  of  Missouri.  Come  and  see  me  day  after 
to-morrow.  I  shall  not  go  home  till  morning.  Business 
with  the  municipal  police  department  may  detain  me 
longer  than  I  want  to  stay.  But  the  majesty  of  the 
law  must  be  respected,  even  by  those  who  live  from  its 
frequent  violation.  I  say  the  law  must  be  respected !" 

A  policeman  came  up  and  accorded  with  O'Brien's 
declaration,  by  hoisting  him  off  to  the  lock-up,  without 
even  a  word  of  explanation. 

"  You  see  I'm  wanted,"  jocosely  hiccoughed  O'Brien, 
with  a  parting  leer  at  Madame,  who  stood  transfixed 
in  mental  confusion.  "  They've  sent  for  me  now.  The 
case  is  that  of  the  Municipality  vs.  Phineas  O'B.  Call 
day  after  to-morrow,  and  we'll  see  what  can  be  done. 
The  law  must  be  respected !" 

Madame  returned  to  Leonore ;  but  said  nothing  about 
O'Brien.  She  was  chafing  within,  yet  smiled  to  cheer 
her  drooping  grandchild.  And,  pretending  that  she 
expected  to  get  intelligence  from  Levasseiir  in  a  few 
days,  she  waited  as  patiently  as  possible  until,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  inebriated  lawyer's  invitation,  she  called 
at  his  office,  and  found  him  in. 

Phineas  was  quite  sober  by  that  time,  and  received 
Madame  with  evident  confusion.  She  referred  to  his 
awning-post  declarations,  and  exhibited  his  card.  At 


134  WORDS    PLALNLY    SPOKEN. 

first  he  prevaricated  just  enough  to  rouse  her  metal. 
She  eyed  him  contemptuously,  and  then  said : 

"  Mr.  O'Brien,  do  not  trifle  with  a  desperate  woman ! 
Aid  me  in  obtaining  justice,  and  I  will  not  only  over- 
look your  complicity  with  that  bad  man,  but  guarantee 
you  a  handsome  reward !" 

Madame  looked  very  resolute,  and  spoke  with  an  em- 
phasis that  he  could  not  misunderstand.  Pretending  to 
arrange  his  papers  for  a  moment  or  so,  he  concluded  to 
receive  a  client  in  anticipation. 

"  Bad  man !"  quoth  he,  with  a  severe  shrug,  and  push- 
ing back  his  chair.  "We  need  not  argue  that  point, 
wrhile  he  is  so  abundantly  able  to  compensate  those 
who  serve  him.  I  fear  that  your  reward  can  not  equal 
his." 

"  Mr.  O'Brien,  you  are  aware  of  the  penalty  incurred 
by  personating  a  priest.  And  if  I  tell  you  that  there  is 
a  witness  ready  to  identify  you,  perhaps  my  proposition 
will  be  accepted." 

"  A  witness !     That  is  impossible !" 

"  Very  well !  In  an  hour's  time  we  shall  see !  Good- 
by,  Mr.  O'Brien !" 

Madame  instantly  rose  to  depart,  and  Phineas  ex- 
pressed a  desire  for  her  not  to  be  in  too  much  of  a 
hurry. 

"  Will  you  assist  me,  then  ?" 

"  You  forget  that  I  might  compromise  myself  in  the 
undertaking.  He  is  rich,  and  you  are  poor.  His  money 
can  baffle  justice  itself.  And  who  would  believe  your 
story  ?" 

"Mr.  O'Brien,  open  the  book  before  you,  and  see 
what  the  law  says  in  reference  to  that  act  of  villainy  on 
your  part.  One  witness  beside  myself,  and  the  evi- 
dence of  Leonore,  who  can  identify  you  by  that  cast  in 


THE   TRUTH    AT   LAST. 


135 


your  left  eye,  will  be  sufficient  to  insure  your  convic- 
tion. Where  is  Levasseur  ?" 

"  Gone !     He  is  now  entirely  out  of  your  reach !" 

"  I  ask  whither  he  has  gone." 

"  To  the  City  of  New  York.  He  is  there  with  his 
wife !" 

Madame  was  unprepared  for  that  announcement  of 
O'Brien ;  and  she  struggled  to  hide  the  sensation  it 
produced  in  her  brain.  After  recovering,  she  inquired 
how  long  he  had  known  Levasseur.  His  reply  was  an 
evasive  shrug.  She  then  asked  when  he  was  married, 
to  whom,  and  where  ? 

"Major  Levasseur  married  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy 
banker  in  New  Orleans,  at  least  six  years  ago !" 

"  How  do  you  know  all  that  ?" 

"  I  was  a  clerk  in  her  father's  office  at  the  time  of  their 
marriage,  and  also  witnessed  the  ceremony,  in  the 
church  of ." 

"  What  church  ?"  eagerly  demanded  Madame. 

"  I  do  not  remember,"  drawled  O'Brien. 

"  The  banker's  name  ?    You  have  not  forgotten  that !" 

"  My  memory  is  very  poor,  and  I  forget  many  things." 

"Villain!  Give  me  Levasseur's  address  in  New 
York." 

"  That  is  out  of  my  power.  I  can  not  acquaint  you 
with  what  I  do  not  know." 

Phineas  O'Brien  did  put  on  the  robes  of  a  priest  to 
marry  Major  Levasseur  and  Leonore.  There  was  some- 
thing between  the  rich  man  and  the  tippling  lawyer. 
A  secret  divulged  might  deprive  Phineas  of  the  com- 
mon privileges  of  a  citizen.  In  St.  Louis  were  many 
dark-skinned  slaves,  whose  masters  could  barter  them 
the  same  as  common  merchandise  without  any  violation 
of  the  laws.  And  Phineas  claimed  to  be  the  non  of 


136  PHINEAS  O'BRIEN'S  ORIGIN. 

Michael  O'Brien ;  but  his  Creole  mother  was  included 
among  the  goods  and  chattels  inventoried  as  part  and 
parcel  of  the  estate  of  Levasseur's  father-in-law,  who 
died  in  Xew  Orleans  soon  after  the  marriage  of  his  only 
daughter.  Michael  O'Brien,  Phineas'  father,  was  a 
negro-trader,  who  made  money  and  spent  it,  until  his 
temporal  existence  ended  in  a  pauper's  grave. 

Phineas  was  born  a  slave ;  but  being  a  likely  lad,  and 
very  nearly  white,  he  received  an  education  fitting  him 
for  the  duties  of  a  clerkship  in  the  banking  office  of  his 
master,  where  he  diligently  occupied  his  leisure  hours 
in  studying  law.  In  Phineas,  Levasseur  found  an  in- 
strument adapted  to  his  wants ;  and,  after  taking  the 
banker's  daughter  for  a  wife,  he  negotiated  for  the  vas- 
sal's freedom.  Phineas  subsequently  practiced  law  in 
New  Orleans  and  finally  established  himself  in  St.  Louis, 
where  he  did  a  prosperous  business  until  tippling  ruined 
his  expectations. 

When  Levasseur  arrived  in  St.  Louis  with  his  proteges 
from  Selkirk  Colony,  Phineas  was  quite  out  at  the 
elbows,  and  ready  for  participation  in  whatever  might 
promise  a  reward.  His  services  were  required.  It  was 
not  difficult  for  him  to  personate  a  priest.  He  could 
adapt  himself  to  almost  any  emergency  when  not  mud- 
dled with  strong  drink.  Money  he  would  have  for  his 
deception,  and  at  the  same  time  obey  a  command. 
Obedience  was  necessary  for  one  in  his  position.  He 
had  been  freed  from  bondage  as  an  assessable  chattel — 
but  forgery,  adroitly  executed,  was  the  price  of  his 
liberty !  From  legal  bondage  he  passed  into  the 
clutches  of  the  law.  Levasseur  could  explain  how  the 
transfer  was  performed,  and  who  profited  most  there- 
from. Therefore,  detection  was  to  be  dreaded  in  accord- 
ance with  the  ill-will  of  the  master.  But,  debased  as  1.^ 


REVENGE    BETTER   THAN   LAW.  137 

was,  Phineas  O'Brien  would  have  gladly  exchanged  his 
present  bondage  for  that  which  he  had  been  liberated 
from. 

Madame  was  satisfied  that  Levasseur  had  deserted 
them !  And  then  she  went  home  to  Leonore  with  a 
heart  full  of  conflicting  emotions.  And  though  it 
might  be  utterly  absurd  to  expect  that  the  confiding 
girl  would  ever  realize  her  pleasant  anticipations  of 
being  a  happy  wife,  the  destroyer  of  all  her  future  pros- 
pects in  life  should  be  made  to  suffer  in  some  way,  if 
possible,  for  such  a  cruel  wrong !  The  law  seldom 
reaches  the  villain  who  thus  despoils  the  unsuspecting 
and  the  pure.  Madame  knew  that ;  and  she  put  no  de- 
pendence in  the  law.  She  had  long  since  learned  that 
only  the  rich  and  the  influential  can  rely  upon  legal 
issues.  Her  wits  were  trying  to  fix  upon  a  scheme 
mere  reliable  than  the  law. 

Revenge  is  sometimes  very  sweet  to  a  malevolent 
heart.  Circumstances  have  ever  been  the  incentives  to 
evil.  But  Madame  was  not  of  a  malignant  nature.  In 
girlhood  none  of  her  playmates  were  kinder  to  her  than 
she  was  to  them.  Yet  that  was  a  long  time  past ;  and 
the  circumstances  through  which  she  had  been  living 
and  enduring  since  then,  eventually  made  quite  a  differ- 
ent being  of  her  in  the  autumn  of  life.  Those  whom  she 
once  loved  were  false  or  in  the  grave.  Indeed,  the  grave 
held  all  her  best  love,  save  that  for  Leonore — and  she 
would  cheerfully  re-endure  the  bitterest  of  past  trials,  if 
to  spare  her.  All  the  world  to  Madame  was  centred  in 
Leonore ! 


One  "  Good  Little  Injun  Boy,"  elaborately  Costumed, 

and  then  Postured  with  some  care,  expressly 

"  to  have  his  Photograph  taken." 


CHAPTEE    X. 


MY  childhood  was  passed 
in  a  latitude  not  very  remote 
from  the  Tropics,  and  I  recol- 
lect the  month  of  November 
there  as  always  connected 
with  associations  of  inclement 
weather.  How  different  it  is 
here  in  St.  Paul !  During  the 
lapse  of  that  autumnal  period 
of  the  zodiacal  calendar,  I  am 
exuberantly  enjoying  the  most 
delicious  atmosphere  ever  breathed  by  man ! 

Indian-Summer  occurs  after  the  green  foliage  has  been 
seared  by  early  frosts,  and  is  then  a  brief  and  delightful 
prelude  to  the  season  of  inevitable  ice  and  snow.  It 
appears  like  a  dreamy  seance  of  the  elements  of  Nature 
in  sorrow  for  the  smiling  summer  that  is  dead  and  in 
prayer  for  a  safe  transit  through  the  gloomy  Hades  of 
the  winter  to  come.  It  is  universally  loved  and  praised 
by  all  people  who  have  an  opportunity  of  realizing  the 
enjoyment  of  its  sweet  yet  mournful  smiles.  But  in  no 


140  INDIAN-SUMMER   IN    MINNESOTA. 

other  land  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  does  it  produce 
anything  like  the  enchantment  experienced  from  it 
here ! 

Were  I  under  the  influence  of  opium,  or  mag- 
netized by  that  queer  stuff  sold  in  fancy  drug  stores 
to  create  dreams  of  intoxicating  bliss,  my  senses  could 
not  realize  emotions  more  delightful  than  those  expe- 
rienced by  me  in  my  pleasant  wandering  to-day.  But 
while  the  sun  shone  intensely  bright,  and  no  clouds 
darkened  the  sky,  a  luminous  haze  gently  softened  the 
ti-anquil  light.  I  was  perplexed  to  understand  how  the 
atmosphere  could  remain  so  perfectly  pure  and  dry. 

Here  in  Minnesota  I  perceive  none  of  that  irksome 
inclemency  which  produces  an  unpleasant  compromise 
between  arid  heats  and  stormy  chills  so  peculiar  to  more 
Southern  climes,  and  so  intensely  disagreeable  in  all 
localities  contiguous  to  the  sea.  Rain  seldom  falls  in 

O 

November — for  when  the  summer  solstice  has  been 
attained,  the  clouds  evaporate  and  become  thin,  and 
almost  entii-ely  disappear,  until  they  return  in  Decem- 
ber heavily  laden  with  snow.  Thus  the  earth  is  left 
clean  and  dry  after  the  sun  recedes  from  the  northern 
pole,  and,  remaining  in  that  condition,  it  forms  a  hard 
bed  for  the  snow-flakes  in  their  fall. 

To-night — now  in  the  third  week  of  November — I  sit 
writing,  with  the  window  of  my  apartment  thrown  wide 
open !  And  this  is  what  they  call  Indian-Summer  in 
Minnesota !  The  gas-light  glare  within  is  actually  pain- 
•ful  to  my  imagination,  while  the  beautiful  moonshine 
without  seems  as  bright  as  day ! 

The  bell  in  a  neighboring  clock-tower  tolls  eleven; 
and  it  is  time  that  I  should  lay  aside  my  pen.  (I'm  sure 
to  hear  the  bells.)  But  I  must  look  out  through  the 
open  casement  a  moment  or  two  before  going  to  bed. 


MOONLIGHT   IN   ST.  PAUL.  141 

First  I  will  turn  down  the  gas,  so  as  to  enjoy  the  lovely 
scene  all  the  better. 

The  tumult  of  traffic  and  the  hubbub  in  the  thorough- 
fares have  died  away,  and,  externally  seen,  the  entire 
city  appears  to  be  wrapped  in  slumber.  Now  I  hear 
the  rumbling  wheels  of  a  belated  omnibus  passing  in  a 
distant  street,  and  presently  even  that  sound  does  not 
reach  my  ear.  At  intervals,  a  solitary  pedestrian  is 
heard  "  tramping  the  planks "  while  homeward  bound. 
And  the  wakeful  dogs  are  noisy  to-night.  What  they 
are  all  barking  at,  is  a  difficult  conjecture.  Possibly  at 
their  own  shadows,  or  perhaps  at  the  seemingly  prodig- 
ious moon.  Dogs  are  very  numerous  in  St.  Paul ;  and 
sitting  here,  as  I  do  now,  their  incessant  noise  might 
annoy  me,  were  my  kind  regard  for  them  less.  Let 
them  bark.  For  while  the  bells  are  so  saddening,  they 
make  me  glad !  They  are  the  only  dumb  creatures 
whom  God  has  imbued  with  a  devoted  affection  for 
man !  I  have  had  good  cause  to  appreciate  their 
sympathy  and  devotion,  and  never  pass  a  respectable 
individual  of  that  species  without  desiring  to  salute  him 
in  some  friendly  way. 

I  sit  at  the  open  window  and  contemplate  the  inter- 
esting scene  until  my  eyes  relinquish  external  vision, 
and  I  gradually  lose  present  consciousness  in  dreamy 
retrospection.  My  mind  wanders  back  through  dim 
and  through  vivid  memories  of  the  past,  and  fancy  re- 
calls two  remarkably  coincidental  events  that  occurred 
in  the  City  of  New  York  just  twenty  years  ago,  and  at 
this  very  hour  of  the  night ! 

But  instead  of  this  clear  sky  and  this  balmy  air,  with 
the  moon  shining  sweetly  upon  the  city  in  slumber,  as 
it  now  does  here,  a  cold  storm  was  then  raging  there. 
The  rain  pattered  upon  the  pavements  with  audible 


142  NIGHT   IN    A    STOEM. 

sound,  and  splashed  in  the  puddles  and  pools  formed 
where  the  flagging  was  low.  A  mist  dim'd  the  Avay- 
side  lamps,  and  the  atmosphere  above  seemed  to  be 
smoky  and  red,  as  if  all  illum'd  by  some  distant  fire  ! 
The  green  bottles  in  the  druggist's  window  shed  a  sick- 
ly glare,  suggestive  of  misery  and  woe.  Gusts  of  wind 
and  rain  swept  around  the  corners  and  moaned  among 
the  chimney-tops,  Avhile  flapping  awnings  and  banging 
loose  window-blinds  and  rickety  doors !  It  was  a 
cheerless  night  in  the  great  metropolis.  Few  people 
were  to  be  seen  in  the  gloomy  streets,  and  the  muffled 
watchmen  hugged  their  drenched  garments  about  them 
as  they  slowly  paced  their  wearisome  rounds. 

I  know  of  nothing  more  dismal  to  a  stranger  than 
the  silent  streets  of  a  large  city  at  midnight  during  the 
preA'alence  of  a  storm !  The  lone  heart  is  depressed 
with  a  sense  of  utter  desolation,  as  if  walking  among 
colossal  tombs  !  And  though  thousands  of  liAnng  peo- 
ple are  breathing  in  slumber  within  the  sombre  Avails  so 
near,  a  solemnity  of  feeling  calls  up  imaginary  visions 
of  eternity  in  death. 

The  scenery  of  an  impenetrable  forest,  or  of  a  track- 
less mountain  wild,  does  not  inspire  such  emotions  as 
those  arising  from  a  sight  of  the  deserted  highways  of 
a  sleeping  city !  Nature  in  repose  may  give  rise  to 
thoughts  sublime,  Avhile  a  contemplation  of  the  Avorks 
of  man,  devoid  of  his  presence  to  infuse  them  Avith  life, 
leads  the  beholder  to  a  melancholy  inference  of  ruin  and 
decay ! 

The  healthy  and  the  prosperous  were  enjoying  all  the 
comfort  of  life  in-doors,  little  caring  for  the  cold  pelting 
storm  that  was  raging  in  the  outer  world.  Love  nes- 
tled in  the  arms  of  love,  and  affection  dreamed  of  the 
past  and  of  happiness  in  store  for  to-morrow.  Infants 


PRAYERS    FOR   THE   DAWN.  143 

reposed  upon  their  sleeping  mothers'  breasts,  and  pleas- 
ant smiles  played  around  mothers'  lips,  revealing  the 
joy  they  felt  to  have  their  sweet  darlings  there ! 

Storm-beaten  walls  concealed  the  luxury  and  the  hap: 
piness — the  misery,  the  want,  the  sorrow,  and  the  pain 
experienced  within.  Palaces  yonder,  and  garrets  there 
— and  damp  cellars  beneath  the  town !  For  where  so 
many  breathe  the  same  air,  the  rich  and  the  poor  must 
be  very  near  each  other.  The  greatest  and  the  proud- 
est are  but  mortals  even  there !  And  as  time  continues 
to  come  and  go,  not  all  the  wealth  in  the  world  can 
keep  the  ills  of  human  kind  from  the  proud  millionaire 
who  scorns  the  penniless  beggar. 

And  the  storm-wind  howled  among  the  house-tops 
while  the  rain  drops  continued  to  fall  upon  the  great 
city,  where  lights  dimly  shone  from  windows  that  told 
of  sickness  and  constant  watching,  and  of  prayers  for 
the  dawn  of  day. 

Through  the  casement  of  a  mansion  where  the  affluent 
are  wont  to  dwell,  an  unusual  light  poured  out  between 
the  elegant  lace  curtains  draping  the  gold-trimmed 
screen.  Then  a  carriage  dashed  around  the  next  street 
corner,  and  drew  up  before  the  mansion-door.  An 
eminent  physician  alighted  and  rang  the  bell  furiously 
for  admission.  The  door  opened  and  he  disappeared 
within ! 

Down  in  the  city,  another  unusual  light  was  seen  at  a 
miserable  tenement  house  on  a  shabby  street.  From 
out  the  dingy  attic  window  in  the  rear,  a  feeble  ray  of 
light  scarcely  made  a  shadow  upon  the  opposite  wall. 
But  no  carriage,  nor  even  a  humble  physician,  hastened 
to  that  wretched  abode.  The  occupants  of  the  attic 
room  were  too  poor  for  indulgence  in  the  expense  of 
medical  skill. 


144  GIRL-MOTHER   AND    CHILD. 

In  the  corner  of  the  room  stood  a  cheap  cot-bed.  An 
old  woman  sat  beside  the  cot,  anxiously  and  tenderly 
nursing  a  young  giii  who  had  just  become  a  mother. 
Anon  the  girl-mother  fell  asleep. 

And  then  the  old  woman  sighed  and  murmured : 
"  It's  all  over  now !  Poor  girl !  How  cruel  it  was  for 
one  like  thee !  And  to  think  that  I  am  to  blame  for  all 
thy  suffering  and  thy  sorrow !  Oh,  why  did  I  so  play 
the  fool?" 

Silently  pondering  a  while,  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  bare  floor,  and  mechanically  swaying  her  body,  she 
scowled.  "  There  must  be  some  way  for  revenge,  and 
I'll  try  and  study  it  out !  He  is  rich,  and  we  are  here 
in  want !" 

A  slight  movement  of  the  sleeping  mother  silenced 
the  old  woman's  tongue.  But  all  was  well. 

"  Poor  girl — poor  girl !"  she  mused.  "  If  I  thought 
the  fate  of  thy  babe  would  be  no  better  than  my  own, 
or  thy  mother's,  or  thine,  I'd  strangle  it  while  asleep, 
and  not  let  it  live  to  see  the  light  of  day.  Ah,  me ! 
This  is  a  hard  world  to  some  !  Yes,  yes  !  But  what 
can  we  do  ?" 

Then  the  old  woman  sank  into  a  quiet  reverie — again 
swaying  her  body,  and  occasionally  breathing  a  deep 
sigh,  with  frequent  glances  of  anxiety  toward  the  girl- 
mother  and  her  babe,  who  continued  in  slumber. 

A  violent  gust  of  wind  startled  her,  and  blew  the 
stuffing  out  of  the  broken  window-pane.  The  rain 
splashed  in  upon  the  sleepers'  faces,  but  did  not  wraken 
them.  She  quickly  reclosed  the  opening  and  relapsed 
into  an  audible  expression  of  what  was  passing  in  her 
mind. 

"  If  there  is  any  mercy  for  the  poor,  we  sadly  need  it 
now.  They  may  send  for  me  to-morrow,  to-night — this 


"BETTER  THAT  THAN  STABVE!"  145 

very  hour !  And  I  must  leave  her  here  alone,  to  go  and 
nurse  some  rich  and  happy  wife.  But  that  is  our  only 
chance.  Oh,  how  cruel  it  is!  Yet  we  must  have 
money ;  and  the  compensation  that  I  shall  receive  from 
the  rich  lady  for  nursing  her,  will  provide  food  and 
shelter  for  this  poor,  deserted  girl !  Better  that  than 
starve !" 

A  loud  knocking  terminated  the  old  woman's  solilo- 
quy, and  startled  the  slumbering  girl-mother  and  her 
babe! 

"  Good  ebenin  !  Oney  Sancho— dat's  all !"  said  a 
well-clad  and  extremely  courteous  mulatto  man,  who 
stood  at  the  door  when  the  old  woman  opened  it  with  a 
trembling  hand. 

"Missus  taken  suddenly  bery  ill,  an  wants  de  nuss, 
right  way  now,  dreckley  !" 

"  I  was  fearful  of  this,"  muttered  the  old  woman  to 
herself.  And  then  she  said  aloud  to  Sancho :  "  Wait 
and  show  me  the  way." 

"  Sartinley !  Do  dat  wid  tic'ler  pleasure !"  replied 
Sancho,  looking  round  for  a  chair.  But,  seeing  none, 
he  slowly  shook  his  head  with  a  look  of  compassion,  and 
glanced  inquiringly  at  the  cot. 

The  old  woman  hurriedly  put  on  her  shawl  to  accom- 
pany Sancho,  and  whispered  to  the  girl-mother  that  it 
would  soon  be  daylight,  when  probably  some  of  the 
lodgers  on  the  same  floor  might  look  in.  She  would  run 
back  the  first  moment  she  could  get  away ! 

With  kisses  and  tears  she  murmured,  "  God  bless  you 
and  watch  over  you  until  I  return  !" 

Sancho  escorted  her  to  his  master's  mansion.  It  was 
the  same  that  the  physician  entered  a  little  while 
before.  Presenting  her  to  the  housekeeper,  he  said : 

"  Dis  am  Mad  urn  Zoree !" 


A   DESPERATE    RESOLVE.  147 

Madame  Zorah  was  her  name  !  And  the  girl-mother 
whom  she  had  just  left  in  the  attic  without  a  nurse,  was 
her  grand-daughter  Leonore. 

They  had  very  little  money  left  after  arriving  in  the 
metropolis,  and  securing  a  comfortable  lodging.  Three 
rooms,  snugly-furnished,  made  them  a  tidy  home.  They 
did  not  stop  at  a  boarding-house.  Madame  entertained 
an  unconquerable  aversion  for  that  style  of  living ;  and 
so  became  housekeeper  in  a  small  way. 

Meanwhile  she  sought  revenge  for  Leonore.  A  wild, 
mad  resolve  for  a  poor  old  woman  in  a  great,  populous 
city !  Yet  desperate  as  it  was,  a  powerful  incentive 
urged  her  on;  and  she  solemnly  vowed  that  the  de- 
stroyer should  make  amends  or  bitterly  rue  the  wrong. 

Major  Levasseur's  name  was  not  in  the  published  city 
directory,  and  she  found  no  one  who  could  give  her  any 
information  of  such  a  man.  Their  slender  purse  was 
getting  more  so  every  day.  But  Madame  persevered 
in  the  search  until  her  hope  seemed  entirely  gone. 

Down  in  the  world,  and  nearly  buried  with  despair, 
she  was  unable  to  make  a  satisfactory  return  to  the 
agent  who  called  on  rent-day  for  the  monthly  sum  in 
advance.  Poor  people  in  New  York  are  required  to 
pay  their  rent  in  that  way.  Cash  down  in  advance  was 
not  particularly  objectionable  to  Madame,  while  she 
had  the  money  in  her  purse.  And  old  as  she  was,  with 
all  the  experience  of  so  many  sharp  vicissitudes,  en- 
dured with  more  or  less  suffering  and  distress,  she 
hoped  that  the  agent  would  wait  a  few  days  longer. 
Something  might  turn  up  to-morrow.  When  she  found 
Levasseur,  he  must  make  them  comfortable,  if  nothing 
more.  Perhaps  he  might !  But  how  long  would  she  be 
finding  him? 

House   agents   are  not  addicted  to   leniency.     And 


148  A    HEART    OF    STOXK. 

why  ?  Ask  landlords — house  owners.  Perhaps  they 
can  tell !  Their  code  and  practice  is  pay  or  go.  Mad- 
ame endeavored  to  explain,  and  then  she  implored : 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  do  show  us  a  little  mercy  now  !" 

But  the  agent  never  gave  himself  any  concern  about 
the  place  which  she  mentioned.  His  Letter  feelings 
were  dried  up  before  Madame  offered  her  prayers.  He 
had  seen  beautiful  girls  turned  into  the  street  without 
a  home,  and  he  had  shut  his  ears  against  the  moans  of 
infirm  women  crouching  in  corners,  hungry  and  cold ! 
Prayers  and  entreaties  had  no  more  effect  upon  him 
than  the  dissonant  sound  of  the  fish-man's  horn.  His 
business  was  to  collect  ir-oney. 

Leonore's  beauty  and  Madame's  wrinkles  were  all  the 
same  to  his  eyes.  Neither  joy  nor  sorrow  met  a  feeling 
response  from  him !  A  deceitful,  cringing  smile  with 
the  bill,  and  a  sickly  obeisance  when  the  money  touched 
his  palm,  or  a  halt-fiendish  grimace  when  the  money  was 
not  there ! 

Madame  must  move  herself,  or  the  merciless  agent 
would  call  in  the  constable,  who  was  anxious  to  come. 
She  did  move — into  a  miserable  attic  room.  But  even 
that  could  not  be  accomplished  without  money ;  and 
the  no  less  unfeeling  furniture-broker  took  nearly  all 
they  had  at  his  own  price.  Perhaps  not  a  third  of 
what  it  should  have  been. 

Intelligence  offices  !  Well,  what  of  them  ?  They  are 
all  at  best  very  delusive  institutions.  The  cunning 
managers  generally  receive  remunerative  compensation 
from  both  employer  and  employee,  and  sometimes  make 
it  convenient  to  swindle  one  while  deceiving  the  other. 
Madame  had  dealt  with  similar  mediums  in  Paris  and 
also  in  London,  but  under  different  circumstances  then. 
Necessity  now  drove  her  to  one  again.  She  desired  a 


COMMON   WRONGS. 


149 


position  as  nurse.  References  would  be  required,  and 
she  had  none  to  give. 

"I  might  accommodate  you  with  everything,"  sug- 
gested the  manageress  of  the  institution  to  which  she 
applied.  "  I  suppose  I  could  do  such  a  favor,  if  you  are 
willing  to  pay  for  it.  I  have  a  number  of  excellent  rec- 
ommendations in  my  possession.  Applicants  left  them 
here,  and  forgot  to  take  them  away.  You  can  be 
trusted,  I  presume  ?  Should  the  matter  come  to  light, 
my  reputation  would  suffer.  I  am  very  careful  of  my 
reputation.  Most  of  the  fashionables  rely  upon  my 
word  in  matters  of  this  kind.  Say  five  dollars  for  an 
engagement,  and  ten  for  testimonials — you  understand  ? 
Fifteen  dollars  down !" 

The  pawnbroker  loaned  precisely  fifteen  dollars  on  a 
valuable  ring  that  Leonore  inherited  from  her  dear 
mother.  It  was  all  they  had  to  pawn — and  then,  if  the 
intelligence  office  failed,  Madame  might  well  ejaculate, 
"  Heaven  help  them !"  But,  luckily,  a  great  lady  ap- 
plied that  very  day.  The  lady  was  not  much  acquainted 
in  the  city,  and  trustingly  sent  out  her  housekeeper  to 
engage  a  nurse. 

Housekeepers  are  not  always  sincerely  interested  in 
the  welfare  of  those  from  whom  they  receive  pay  to 
serve.  All  the  better  for  employees  seeking  a  place. 
Consequently,  the  matter  was  arranged  without  any 
questions  asked  or  reference  given  ! 

Madame  was  duly  notified  that  a  lady  had  engaged 
her.  The  lady's  name  was  not  mentioned,  and  she  did 
not  think  to  inquire.  She  was  very  glad  to  get  the  en- 
gagement, and  it  made  no  difference  to  her  whom  the 
lady  might  be.  Her  services  would  be  required  at  any 
moment.  She  must  hold  herself  ready  to  attend  with- 
out further  warning. 


15Q  FLORIDA'S  NEW  HOME. 

And  Sancho,  the  colored  man,  did  summons  her  while 
she  sat  watching  over  Leonore,  whose  babe  was  not  yet 
an  hour  old.  But  when  Sancho  announced  her  name  to 
the  housekeeper,  there  was  a  mutual  surprise  !  If  the 
arrangement  at  the  intelligence  office  had  not  been  so 
loosely  perfected,  an  unpleasant  meeting  might  have 
been  avoided ! 

Very  unexpectedly,  Madame  stood  face  to  face  with 
Florinda,  the  Canadian  adventuress,  who  exulted  in  the 
death  of  Leonore's  dear  mother  at  Selkirk  Colony.  But 
Madame  did  not  know  all  that.  She  never  suspected 
anything  criminal  in  the  conduct  of  Florinda — and  the 
last  she  had  seen  of  her  was  in  St.  Louis,  where  they 
parted,  after  voyaging  together  down  the  Mississippi 
River. 

Madame  simply  manifested  surprise,  and  really  expe- 
rienced much  pleasure  in  meeting  some  one  in  the  great 
metropolis  whom  she  had  at  least  seen  before.  Florinda 
was  no  less  surprised ;  but  at  the  same  time  exhibited 
confusion  and  alarm.  She  evidently  wanted  to  prevent 
Madame  going  up  stairs ;  and  her  wits  were  already  at 
work  inventing  a  ruse  to  get  her  out  of  the  house  en- 
tirely. But  at  that  moment  the  physician's  voice  was 
heard  impatiently  inquiring  if  the  nurse  had  come  ! 

Madame  hastened  up  stairs  into  a  luxurious  chamber, 
and  stood  at  the  bedside  of  a  beautiful  lady  with  a 
newly-born  babe,  leaving  Florinda  speechless  in  the 
hall. 

"  You  are  the  nurse  ?"  said  the  physician,  looking 
wisely  over  the  top  of  his  heavy  gold-framed  glasses. 
"  Quiet — very  quiet !  She  is  dozing  now  !  You  have 
been  tardy  !  Ahem !  This  powder  will  make  her  sleep 
again  when  she  wakes.  The  brown  powder — not  the 
white  !  Allow  no  one  to  enter  the  room  until  I  return 


PORTRAIT   ON   THE    WALL.  15^ 

In  the  morning.  Much  depends  upon  your  experience 
and  attention,  as  well  as  upon  my  skill.  She  is  nerv- 
ous !  Very !" 

The  physician  moved  out  of  the  chamber  with  an  air 
of  conscious  distinction.  His  carriage  was  waiting  fo5- 
him,  and  he  demurely  rode  away. 

Then  Madame  bent  over  the  unconscious  lady  and 
gazed  some  time  upon  her  beautiful  pale  face.  What  a 
contrast  in  the  position  of  that  great  lady  and  the  con- 
dition of  poor  Leonore !  Madame  felt  it  all.  The  easy 
couch,  with  its  fine  linen  and  its  orange-colored  silk 
counterpane.  Pillows  of  goose-down,  with  deep  lace 
border.  A  magnificent  canopy  of  blue  silk  drapery 
fringed  with  gold.  Costly  rosewood  elaborately  carved, 
supporting  all.  Rich  velvet  carpet,  noiseless  to  the 
tread.  Elegant  cabinets,  colossal  mirrors,  and  decora- 
tive works  of  art.  Pictures-f-aye,  and  a  large  portrait 
in  a  massive  frame  over  the  mantel.  A  portrait  of 
whom  ? 

Madame's  eyes  wandered  from  one  object  to  another 
until  a  sight  of  the  portrait  caused  her  to  start  with 
intense  wonder  and  surprise  !  Her  features  relaxed,  her 
chin  fell,  and  her  eyes  gleamed  strangely  wild  !  She 
seemed  to  be  overcome  with  a  dizziness,  and,  wiping  the 
cold  perspiration  from  her  forehead,  she  appeared  older 
by  several  years !  Choking  a  moment,  she  groaned, 
"  Levasseur !" 

And,  like  an  evil  spirit,  Florinda  was  lurking  outside 
the  door,  which  stood  slightly  ajar ;  and  a  derisive  smile 
relaxed  the  compression  of  her  lips  when  she  stealthily 
perceived  that  Madame  already  recognized  the  portrait 
on  the  wall ! 


CHAPTER   XI. 


Two  babes  were  born  at  the 
same  hour !  One  in  a  palatial 
mansion,  the  other  amid  poverty 
and  want !  Lady  Levasseur  be- 
came a  mother,  and  so  did  poor 
Leonore  !  But  the  lady's  daugh- 
ter would  be  an  heiress,  and  the 
orphan  girl's  child  must  be  un- 
blest  with  a  father's  name ! 

The  rich  mother  lay  sleeping 
upon  her  luxurious  couch,  while 
Leon  ore's  bed  was  a  miserable  cot. 
And  was  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  Madame  began  to 
hate  Lady  Levasseur,  the  beautiful  wife  of  the  man  who 
deceived  and  deserted  her  grand-daughter  ? 

She  bent  over  the  sleeping  wife,  and  sat  for  a  time 
absorbed  in  meditation.  A  train  of  thoughts  came  up 
in  her  mind.  She  had  found  Major  Levasseur  at  last ! 
But  where,  and  how?  Did  he  love  his  wife?  Was 
his  wife's  love  for  him  equal  to  that  of  Leonore  ?  Could 
the  elegant  lady  love  as  devotedly  as  the  simple  girl  ? 
Perhaps  she  did  not  love  him  at  all.  Many  rich  hus- 


154  MARRIAGE  WITHOUT  LOVE. 

bands  had  wives  who  returned  them  no  love !  It  was 
customary  for  a  lady  to  marry  the  wealthiest  gentleman 
she  could  get.  Indeed,  husbands  were  frequently  of 
less  importance  than  their  wealth  !  Any  rich  man  not 
already  married,  was  a  desirable  object  to  catch ! 

Madame  knew  all  that.  She  had  been  only  a  mor- 
ganatic bride;  but  the  experience  of  an  eventful  life 
taught  her  lessons  never  dreamed  of  by  an  unloving  or 
a  devoted  wife  whose  marriage  was  sanctified  by  holier 
rites  and  maintained  by  law.  Mothers  educated  their 
daughters  for  a  market.  They  were  instructed  how  to 
be  attractive,  and  thoroughly  schooled  in  all  the  mod- 
ern arts  of  flirtation.  Maneuvering  mammas  diligently 
assisted  in  conjugating  the  active  verb  catch,  without 
any  consideration  whatever  for  that  necessary  little  con- 
junction and,  which  joins  it  to  the  more  important  sub- 
stantive keep. 

No  matter  about  love !  That  might  not  realize  dia- 
monds and  costly  dresses !  Love  was  not  reciprocated 
in  every  fine  mansion  !  Pretension  frequently  brought 
much  more  luxury  than  that  awarded  to  the  purest 
love! 

Madame  believed  that  love  was  seldom  found  among 
the  rich  !  She  never  experienced  much  afiection  for  any 
one  except  her  daughter,  who  was  dead,  and  for  her 
darling  Leonore.  She  had  seen  a  great  many  married 
people  who  pretended  vastly  more  than  they  ever  estab- 
lished by  their  questionable  habits  of  life !  Her  opinion 
of  society  was  extremely  prejudiced  from  early  associa- 
tion and  disappointment  in  after  years.  Others  have- 
adduced  a  similar  conclusion  by  even  pleasanter  evi- 
dence than  hers ! 

Madame's  heart  was  very  bitter !  She  hated  all  the 
world.  All  except  Leonore,  and  her  babe  that  was  just 


A    DESPERATE    RESOLVE.  155 

born.  She  almost  devoured  Lady  Levasseur's  beautiful 
features  as  the  latter  lay  wrapt  in  slumber.  How  could 
she  destroy  that  beauty,  and  wean  the  Major's  love  en- 
tirely from  her — all  for  Leonore  ?  That  babe  would  be 
rich,  and  Leonore's  poor !  There  must  be  some  way  to 
rob  her — for  the  sake  of  Leonore !  She  would  shrink 
from  nothing  that  might  accomplish  Leonore's  ascend- 
ancy over  the  wife.  A  thousand  undeveloped  thoughts 
flitted  through  her  half-delirious  mind. 

If  that  wife  was  dead,  would  Levasseur  take  Leonore 
back  again  to  his  arms  ?  He  might !  Well,  what 
then  ?  Madame  glanced  furtively  round  the  elegant 
chamber.  Her  dim  eyes  gleamed  with  some  sinister 
intention.  She  was  meditating  evil ! 

All  alone !  Quiet !  Very  still !  The  storm  beat 
against  the  glass  in  the  window,  and  a  faint  moan  went 
up  the  chimney  with  the  heavy  draft  from  the  bright 
grate-fire !  The  breathing  of  mother  and  babe  was 
aadible  to  her  ear,  and  the  ticking  of  the  mantel-clock 
went  regular  and  clear ! 

Holding  her  own  breath,  she  rose  as  if  in  a  dream ! 
Placing  one  hand  to  her  forehead  to  ease  a  painful 
throb,  she  convulsively  twirled  the  other  hand  and 
twisted  its  fingers.  Staggering  to  the  marble  edge  of 
a  costly  escritoire,  she  took  up  one  of  the  tiny  papers 
of  powder  left  there  by  the  physician  before  he  went 
away  !  Opening  it,  she  smiled  just  a  little,  and  stood  a 
moment  to  reflect.  But  gradually  raising  her  eyes, 
they  alighted  upon  the  portrait  of  Levasseur.  His  look 
seemed  to  divine  her  thoughts,  and  she  dropped  the 
tiny  paper,  spilling  the  white  powder  upon  a  satin-cov- 
ered chair!  Still  she  kept  her  gaze  riveted  upon  the 
glowing  canvas,  as  if  petrified  by  his  discovery  of  the 
wicked  design  just  then  in  her  heart ! 


156  SAVED    BY    A    PICTURE. 

Florinda,  the  housekeeper,  was  meanwhile  hovering 
near.  After  disappearing-  from  her  first  position,  she 
went  into  the  dressing-room  by  another  entrance,  and 
there  availed  herself  of  the  keyhole  in  the  door  com- 
municating with  the  chamber.  She  must  have  been 
greatly  concerned  about  Madame's  unexpected  entrance 
into  the  Levasseur  mansion — else  why  did  she  act  in 
that  strange  way  ? 

The  exciting  circumstances  attending  Madame's  expe- 
rience of  the  night,  prevented  any  inquiries  on  her  part; 
and  thus  far  she  remained  totally  ignorant  of  the  means 
by  which  Florinda  gained  the  position  of  housekeeper 
for  Levasseur,  while  she  and  Leonore  had  been  de- 
serted ! 

Madame  really  had  no  distinct  idea  of  anything  ex- 
cept that  she  was  then  in  Levasseur's  house — alone  with 
his  wife  and  her  babe  who  were  reposing  in  luxury, 
while  Leonore  and  her  child  lay  iipon  a  comfortless  cot 
in  the  squalid  attic,  unattended  by  nurse  or  friend. 
She  keenly  realized  the  wide  contrast !  And  with  bit- 
ter contemplation  of  the  extreme  difference  in  their 
position,  she  was  almost  immediately  transformed  into 
a  fiend !  Nearly  delirious  with  the  intensity  of  anger, 
jealousy  and  hate  that  were  surging  in  her  heart  and 
whirling  in  her  brain,  from  the  complication  of  events 
which  had  taken  place  during  the  last  hour,  she  rashly 
thought  of  poison  !  But  casually  perceiving  the  picture 
against  the  wall,  she  was  terrified  by  what  seemed  to 
be  the  living  eyes  of  Levasseur.  Their  piercing  stare 
went  to  her  heart,  and  the  powder  dropped  from  her 
hand! 

At  that  instant  Florinda  softly  entered  through  the 
communicating  door,  and  with  a  whispered  hush  took 
her  by  the  arm.  She  was  very  much  bewildered,  and 


BRIBES    REFUSED.  157 

mechanically  followed  Florincla  into  the  dressing-room, 
where  they  remained  some  time  whispering  together. 
Floririda  proposed  that  she  should  resign  her  engage- 
ment before  Lady  Levasseur  awoke.  Her  compensation 
should  be  doubled  and  tripled,  if  she  went  quietly  away 
and  did  not  return  !  There  were  good  reasons  for  such 
a  change.  The  Major  would  probably  come  home  from 
Washington  the  ensuing  day,  and  if  he  should  find 
Madame  installed,  in  his  connubial  sanctum,  a  hazardous 
denouement  must  be  expected. 

Florinda  argued  the  case  with  a  great  deal  of  cunning, 
but  instead  of  inducing  Madame  to  withdraw,  she  only 
roused  suspicions  against  herself.  And  then  Madame 
wanted  to  know  how  Florinda  came  to  be  there  in  the 
position  of  housekeeper.  But  that  question  was  not 
answered  quite  clearly.  And  so  Madame  decided  to 
remain  precisely  where  she  was.  If  Florinda  chose  to 
betray  her  in  any  way,  she  comforted  herself  with  the 
possibility  of  some  severe  retaliation  ! 

Leonore's  wrongs  demanded  reparation,  and  if  the 
lord  of  the  mansion  did  not  acknowledge  her  claim,  his 
wife  should  know  all.  Madame  included  that  desperate 
alternative  in  a  new  resolution  instigated  by  the  anxiety 
of  Florinda.  Instead  of  meditating  harm  to  Lady  Le- 
vasseur, she  would  be  used  to  circumvent  her  own  hus- 
band. His  conduct  should  guide  Madame's  course  of 
action !  If  he  denied  the  claim  of  Leonore — woe  betide 
him  then. 

Florinda  and  Madame  were  becoming  enemies.  They 
spoke  pleasantly  to  each  other,  and  both  endeavored  to 
conceal  the  animosity  goading  them  within.  But  ulti- 
mately their  mutual  deception  would  not  succeed. 
However,  their  interview  was  terminated  by  Lady  Le- 
vasseur waking  from  sleep.  And  as  Madame  felt  the 


158  A  HOUSEKEEPER'S  LETTER. 

awkwardness  of  her  position,  she  asked  Florinda  for  an 
introduction. 

A  very  unusual  scene — but  apparently  correct.  Only 
a  faint  smile  welcomed  Madame.  No  matter ;  she  had 
a  bold  game  to  play,  and  resolved  not  to  wince  until 
the  stakes  were  entirely  lost.  She  really  had  nothing 
to  lose,  and  everything  to  gain.  In  any  event,  she 
could  not  worse  her  own  condition  or  that  of  Leonore. 

Madame  began  the  duties  of  nurse,  while  Florinda 
went  to  her  own  room  and  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Major, 
who  intended  to  return  from  Washington  as  soon  as  he 
received  notice  of  the  event  in  expectation.  Florinda 
had  been  instructed  to  notify  him  by  telegram.  In  that 
she  was  then  complete  master  of  tlie  situation. 

Levasseur  was  pushing  a  negotiation  with  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  did  not  wish  to  leave  the  capital  until  he 
attained  the  desired  ultimatum.  Florinda  had  familiar- 
ized herself  with  his  alfairs  sufficiently  to  warrant  her 
in  taking  more  liberty  than  an  ordinary  housekeeper 
would  dare  attempt ;  and  she  wrote  him  a  very  business- 
like letter.  It  ran  thus : 

"  My  lady  has  presented  you  with  a  little  daughter. 
But  I  am  sure  you  will  pardon  me  for  not  telegraph- 
ing immediately  when  I  tell  you  that,  through  some 
unfortunate  fatality  attending  the  engagement  of  her 
nurse  at  the  intelligence  office,  old  Madame  Zorah,  Leo- 
nore's  grandmother,  has  been  sent  to  wait  upon  my 
lady  !  You  are  amazed  at  this  announcement ;  but 
cannot  be  any  more  so  than  I  was  when  Sancho  bixmght 
her  in.  I  tried  all  prudent  means  to  get  her  out  of  the 
house  before  she  even  saw  my  lady,  but  neither  persua- 
sion nor  the  offer  of  money  had  the  least  influence  what- 
ever. Of  course  she  recognized  your  beautiful  portrait 
over  the  mantel,  and  is  now  in  my  lady's  chamber,  im- 


THE  OLD  WOMAN'S  CACKLE.  159 

patient  to  meet  you  on  your  return.  Therefore,  if  I 
may  be  allowed  to  offer  advice,  you  had  better  not  pre- 
cipitate yourself  into  domestic  trouble — at  least  not 
while  my  lady  is  in  such  a  delicate  condition.  Remain 
away  for  a  time,  and  I  will  do  my  best  to  dispose  of  the 
old  witch.  I  might  have  acted  more  decisively;  but 
as  she  evidently  suspects  me  of  personal  motives,  it  is 
best  that  I  should  rely  mainly  upon  finesse.  Write  to 
my  lady  on  receipt  of  this,  and  feign  a  good  excuse  for 
your  provoking  detention.  The  old  thing  tells  me  that 
Leonore  is  not  in  the  city ;  but  declines  to  reveal  the 
girl's  retreat.  You  may  depend  upon  my  fidelity  at  all 
hazards,  and  I  shall  anxiously  await  your  reply."  She 
also  added,  "  Fondly  and  eternally  yours !" 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  Sancho  was  dis- 
patched to  the  General  Post  Office  with  the  letter,  so 
that  it  might  go  out  in  the  first  mail. 

Madame  asked  to  be  excused  also  at  an  early  hour  in 
the  morning.  She  would  not  be  absent  long.  But  igno- 
rance of  the  streets  somewhat  embarrassed  her  speedy 
flight  to  Leonore.  However,  she  was  fortunate  enough 
to  meet  Sancho  returning  from  the  Post  Office,  and  he 
cheerfully  escorted  her  the  right  way. 

Leonore  received  her  grandma  with  a  smile,  and  their 
arms  were  instantly  entwined  about  each  other's  neck. 
Baby  was  doing  well;  but  presently  Madame's  eyes 
lighted  up  with  some  sudden  thought  while  she  affec- 
tionately scrutinized  its  scarcely  defined  features.  She 
was  in  a  rare  humor,  and  fairly  cackled  to  herself  with 
the  new  idea  in  her  mind.  She  did  not  tell  Leonore 
what  made  her  so  jubilant— and  it  was  well  for  her 
scheme  that  she  did  not. 

A  poor  widow  occupying  the  next  attic  was  employed 
to  nurse  Leonore;  and  with  another  scene  of  mutual 


Minueliaba  Falls,  as  seen  from  the  Minneapolis  side. 


EXPIATION  FOB  LEVASSEUR!  161 

kisses  and  tears,  the  girl-mother  and  her  grandma  sepa- 
rated again. 

Madame  chuckled  as  she  went  out,  and  then  cackled 
to  herself  all  the  way  down  stairs.  She  was  felicitating 
herself  upon  a  terrible  expiation  for  Major  Levasseur ! 

"  Just  the  same  age — and  both  girls  !"  she  mused,  in 
the  exuberance  of  her  feeling.  "No  one  could  tell 
them  apart  if  they  were  placed  together.  Their  own 
mothers  would  be  none  the  wiser  if  I  should  change 
them  !  If  I  should  ?  And  why  not  ?  Our  child  has 
as  much  right  to  be  an  heiress  as  theirs  !  But  one  of  the 
children  can  lawfully  inherit  their  father's  name  and 
wealth,  and — and  that  one  shall  be  Leonoras!" 

Florinda  asked  Sancho  why  he  had  been  absent  so 
long ;  and  in  his  simple  goodness  he  not  only  boasted 
of  showing  Madame  to  her  squalid  home,  but  sorrow- 
fully added : 

"Ah,  some  us  rich  folks  don't  know  how  orf'l  bad 
off  dem  ar  poor  critters  am  in  de  low  streets  and  alleys, 
and  down  cellar,  and  way  up  in  de  garrets,  dar.  I  seed 
a  lady  dat  am  lub'lee  as  a  angel.  She  was  li'n  in  Mad- 
urn  Zoree's  bed,  an  I  spec  she  had  a  little  small  chile ! 
Old  Sancho's  heart  felt  berry  sad  to  seem  em  dar  widout 
any  konweniences  ob  life  !" 

And  thus  Florinda  learned  that  Leonore  was  in  the 
city — notwithstanding  her  grandma's  assertion  to  the 
contrary.  But  she  did  not  clearly  comprehend  San- 
cho's intimation  of  the  unhappy  girl's  maternal  con- 
dition. However,  she  immediately  penned  another 
letter  to  the  Major,  and  then  nervously  waited  for 
whatever  might  occur. 

Lady  Levasseur  was  rather  pleased  with  her  nurse — 
which  might  not  have  been  expected,  when  Madame's 
coarse  face  appeared  so  very  masculine.  But  she  en- 


162  WARNING   FOR   RICH   MOTHERS. 

deavored  to  make  a  favorable  impression  by  the  earnest- 
ness of  her  attention ;  and  the  first  few  days  passed 
without  any  external  sign  of  the  terrible  mischief  then 
brewing.  There  mi<;ht  have  been  a  sudden  fluttering 

O  O  *•-> 

in  Madame's  heart  whenever  she  heard  the  street-door 
bell  ring  in  expectation  of  the  Major's  return ;  but  only 
Florinda  could  even  imagine  that.  Lady  Levasseur's 
future  life  was  not  yet  darkened  by  the  slightest  shadow 
of  impending  harm. 

More  than  a  week  elapsed,  and  still  the  Major  did  not 
return.  Madame  wondered  why ;  but  prudence  forbade 
inquiry.  She  knew  that  Florinda  was  corresponding 
with  him  daily — that  Lady  Levasseur  received  letters 
from  him,  and  employed  her  housekeeper  to  write  the 
answers.  She  was  cognizant  of  that  only.  Little  did 
she  imagine  that  Florinda  was  playing  a  desperate  part. 
Both  deeply  interested  in  the  consummation  of  their 
own  plans,  they  did  not  anticipate  the  scheming  of  each 
other. 

The  hour  at  length  arrived  for  Madame  to  execute 
the  first  act  of  her  revenge.  Florinda  accepted  an  invi- 
tation to  spend  the  day  with  a  lady  in  Jersey  City  who 
lived  there  in  great  style  frV>m  the  proceeds  of  a  remu- 
nerative "  Clairvoyant "  occupation.  It  was  a  pleasant 
afternoon,  and  Madame  suggested  that  a  little  fresh  air 
would  be  extremely  beneficial  to  the  baby.  Lady  Le- 
vasseur did  not  object.  Ladies  of  her  position  seldom 
allow  maternal  solicitude  and  attention  to  occupy  their 
minds.  They  too  often  leave  their  tender  offspring 
entirely  in  charge  of  hirelings  who  rarely  have  any 
heart  in  the  task. 

Lady  Levasseur  was  naturally  an  affectionate  mother. 
But  her  whole  existence  had  not  yet  become  identified 
with  that  of  her  babe.  And  why  ?  Because  she  was 


THE    INFANTS    CHANGED  !  163 

not  necessarily  actuated  by  those  tender  sympathies 
which  are  fully  developed  in  mothers  whom  humbler 
circumstances  compel  to  act  and  feel  with  all  the  capa- 
cities of  body  and  mind.  Therefore,  Madame  could  do 
whatever  she  thought  best. 

Cackling  with  almost  fiendish  delight,  Madame  hur- 
ried away  to  Leonore  in  the  attic  room.  The  widow 
woman  who  nursed  Leonore  was  sent  off  on  a  long 
errand.  Then  telling  Leonore  that  she  did  not  look  as 
well  as  usual,  it  was  not  difficult  to  make  her  swallow 
three  of  the  sleeping  powders  that  were  left  by  the 
physician  after  the  accouchement  of  Lady  Levasseur. 
A  narcotic  dose  powerful  enough  to  stupefy  any  one ! 
But  Leonore  must  sleep  very  sound.  And  then  Madame 
cackled  again  while  hastening  back  to  the  Levasseur 
mansion. 

The  lawful  heiress  to  Major  Levasseur's  name  and 
wealth  was  in  Madame's  arms,  and  it  went  out  through 
the  massive  rosewood  door  never  to  return  ! 

Leonore  seemed  dead  to  all  the  world  when  her 
grandma  brought  in  Lady  Levasseur's  child.  And  then 
the  first  act  of  a  drama  in  real  life  and  sorrow  was  there 
performed!  Quickly  disrobing  both  infants,  Madame 
clad  the  nameless  progeny  of  the  beautiful  orphan  in 
the  costly  apparel  of  the  baby  heiress!  She  then 
wrapped  the  other  in  the  plain  clothes  and  tucked  it  up 
in  bed! 

Both  babes  were  kicking  and  crowing,  and  seemed 
to  enjoy  the  change  that  might  be  dooming  them  to 
misery  in  their  future  lives. 

But  Madame  scowled  cruelly  upon  the  little  one  left 
at  the  side  of  Leonore,  while  vehemently  kissing  the 
other,  whom  she  hugged  up  to  her  bosom.  Then  she 
hurried  back  again  to  the  mansion,  carrying  with  her 


164  INSTINCT   OF   A   MOTHER. 

Leonore's  child.  She  suddenly  ceased  her  cackling  at 
the  mansion  door — for  Dinah,  the  colored  wife  of  Sancho, 
answered  the  bell  and  grinned  a  welcoming  salutation. 

"  Young  misse  kum  home  gin !  Lpr  bress  her  nice, 
swete,  preshus  sef !  An'  not  bin  ride'n  in  de  caridge, 
need'r.  Massa  mus'  get  a  bran  new  wun  for  'is  lubly 
darter,  right  away.  Yes,  indeed-ee,  he  mus' !  Bress  er 
purty  pictur — she's  good  fur  sore  eyes !" 

Dinah  pulled  the  child's  mantle  off  its  face,  and  that 
made  Madame  feel  nervous.  But  she  was  much  more 
agitated  a  moment  later,  when  Lady  Levasseur  kissed  it 
and  embraced  it  as  her  own. 

And  then  Madame  must  see  Leonore  safely  out  of 
that  deep  slumber.  It  would  not  take  long  to  run 
down  there.  So,  pretending  to  have  dropped  some- 
thing at  a  store  where  she  had  not  even  been,  Madame 
flew  back  to  finish  up  the  attic  scene. 

Leonore  was  already  awake  and  staring  at  the  child 
by  her  side. 

"  What  now  ?  Have  your  senses  left  you,  or  are  you 
dreaming  ?"  began  Madame,  in  a  kind  and  innocent  tone. 

"  Where  is  my  darling  ?"  gasped  Leonore,  bewildered 
and  in  tears.  "  This  is  not  mine !" 

"  How  absurd  !  Why,  you  silly  goose,  not  to  know 
your  own  child !  Forsooth,  here's  a  model  mother !  I 
don't  wonder  it  laughs  at  you  so  !" 

"  Oh,  no,  grandma — that  is  not  my  babe  !  Take  it 
away !"  shuddered  Leonore. 

"  Bah  !  See  its  clothes — and  that  pretty  cap  made 
by  your  own  hands.  Surely  you  are  not  insane !  Its 
mamma  disowns  it — eh  ?  She  does  ?" 

'*  Oh,  dear  grandma,  there  is  something  wrong  !  I 
shudder  when  I  touch  its  little  hands.  See,  its  flesh 
does  not  feel  like  that  of  my  darling!  Oh,  it  is  all 


A    STBANGE    IMPKESSION.  Jg5 

Strange  to  me !  Please — do  take  it  away,  and  bring 
back  mine !" 

Leonore  wept  aloud.  She  shrank  back  and  shud- 
dered instead  of  embracing  the  child.  "  Take  it  away, 
and  return  mine !"  she  continued  to  cry. 

Madame  began  to  feel  alarmed.  She  tried  scolding 
without  avail,  and  then  soothing  persuasion. 

The  poor  widow  returned — and  Madame  appealed  to 
her. 

"  She  has  been  dreaming,"  laughed  Madame ;  "  and 
now  she  don't  know  her  own  babe.  Look — she  says  it 
is  not  hers !" 

The  poor  widow  was  deceived  by  the  likeness ;  and 
she  also  laughed  at  Leonore's  impression.  Then  they 
both  tried  to  convince  her  that  she  was  mistaken.  But 
all  to  no  purpose.  She  possessed  the  rare  instinctive 
perception  of  a  mother!  And  Madame  was  finally 
obliged  to  leave  her  sobbing  in  grievous  distress ! 

The  little  innocent  laughed  and  crowed  to  see  Leo- 
nore's face  all  suffused  with  tears ;  and  its  meaningless 
smile  actually  pierced  her  heart — not  with  rebuke  for 
her  aversion,  but  like  a  sting  of  jealousy  from  some 
vague  source  through  its  unimpassioned  gaze.  And 
when  she  refused  it  the  nourishment  of  her  breast,  the 
poor  widow  looked  on  perfectly  amazed. 

"  I  can  perceive  the  image  of  a  beautiful  blonde  lady 
reflected  in  its  eyes  !"  Leonore  shiveringly  cried — "  and 
she  scowls  at  me !  Oh,  do  take  it  away !" 


CHAPTER    XII. 


m,     ^ml 


ASPASIA  and  Cleopatra  were  both 
remarkable  exemplifications  of  sue* 
cessful  beauty.  Since  their  time, 
many  other  women  have  attained 
the  most  exalted  position  by  the 
influence  of  personal  charms.  And 
without  egotism  I  will  suggest  a 
study  of  this  social  phenomenon  for 
convincing  proof  that  beauty  is  the 
choicest  gift  of  Nature.  Such  a 
theory  on  my  part  may  not  elevate 
me  in  the  esteem  of  those  very 
spiritual  intellects  who  realize  no  enjoyment  from  ex- 
ternal things.  Yet  I  am  not  entirely  forgetful  of  the 
blessed  endowment  of  mind.  Though  while  the  under- 
standing may  be  improved  by  education,  all  the  arts 
known  to  science  will  fail  to  render  a  physical  deformity 
comely  in  our  sight.  A  repulsive  face  and  form  do  not 
inspire  us  with  emotions  of  delight.  And  yet  empires 
have  been  overturned  by  the  influence  of  physical 
attractions  pertaining  to  the  fair  sex. 

The  power  of  reason,  embodied  in  pure  morality  and 


168  PERSONAL    CHARMS. 

a  cultivated  intellect,  is  very  often  outweighed  by  ex- 
ternal loveliness  in  women.  However,  this  will  not  be 
admitted  as  a  "good  result"  by  those  orthodox  ex- 
pounders of  the  heinousness  of  sensual  emotion,  who 
contend  that  all  personal  beauty  is  only  "  skin  deep." 
And  it  can  not  be  denied  that  the  ancient  Puritans, 
with  a  profane  lack  of  reverence  for  "  God's  Image," 
did  their  utmost  to  spoil  the  personal  charms  of  their 
daughters  by  sombre  raiment  and  coerced  unemotional 
restraint.  I  have  heard  of  one  pious  New  England 
grandmother  who  actually  caused  a  portion  of  her 
daughter's  beautiful  front  teeth  to  be  extracted,  with 
the  avowed  purpose  of  deterring  ungodliness  that  might 
arise  from  vanity !  And  I  also  remember  reading  how 
some  of  those  pious  fanatics  gratified  their  insane  zeal 
by  burning  individuals,  with  the  sincere  though  absurd 
belief,  that  "  witches "  ought  to  expire  with  torture. 
Thanks  to  the  printing  presx  for  its  diifusion  of  knowl- 
edge, by  which  nearly  all  those  pious  prejudices  have 
been  extinguished — I  trust  forever. 

Female  beauty,  in  a  corporeal  sense,  may  be  defined 
as  a  perfectly  harmonious  blending  of  the  natural  func- 
tions of  life  with  the  external  form.  When  the  princi- 
pal elements  of  vitality  are  in  a  sound  state  of  health, 
and  the  general  anatomy  is  developed  in  graceful  out- 
line, may  be  seen  those  exquisitely  formed  limbs,  those 
delicate  hands  and  feet,  and  that  transparent  skin,  the 
roseate  blush  of  which  is  so  warming  even  to  an  ob- 
server's eye.  Beauty  is  the  special  adornment  of 
woman — and  hence  she  is  endowed  with  an  exquisite 
sense  of  fondness  for  whatever  pertains  to  the  toilet. 
With  some  it  becomes  a  ruling  passion,  and  in  excep- 
tional cases  moral  ruin.  The  Roman  beauties  wore 
masks  at  home  to  preserve  their  complexion.  It  is 


BEAUTY   AND   MIND.  169 

said  that  Diana  of  Poictiers  retained  the  freshness  of 
youth  to  a  great  age  by  following  the  advice  of  Para- 
celsus. We  are  told  that  at  sixty  her  beauty  was 
ravishing  to  the  dullest  eyes  of  men.  She  bathed  in 
rain-water  every  morning ;  and  Madame  Tallien,  who 
participated  in  those  extravagant  luxuries  and  aban- 
doned excesses  revived  under  the  rule  of  the  first 
Napoleon,  actually  wallowed  in  a  mash  of  strawberries 
and  raspberries,  after  which  her  form  was  washed  with 
sponges  saturated  with  milk  and  costly  perfumes. 

But  while  a  beautiful  form  appeals  only  to  our  senses, 
a  lovely  face,  where  every  other  attraction  might  be 
wanting,  will  instantly  touch  our  heart.  And  accord- 
ingly we  kiss  the  eyes  or  the  lips  of  those  whom  we 
love,  leaving  the  cheek,  the  hand,  or  the  like,  to  be 
caressed  in  token  of  unimpassioned  affection. 

Admitting  that  beauty  is  so  choice  a  gift  to  woman, 
I  nevertheless  distinctly  remember  more  than  one  very 
homely  lady  whose  educational  attainments  enabled 
her  to  be  extremely  fascinating.  And  not  only  the 
most  charming,  but  by  far  the  most  bewitching  lady  I 
ever  knew,  really  possessed  very  little  physical  attrac- 
tion. Her  charms  existed  only  in  the  imagination  of 
those  whom  she  fascinated  by  the  adroit  exercise  of  a 
naturally  superior  intellectuality,  tutored  to  the  highest 
perfection  of  mental  skill.  In  plain  terms,  she  was  a 
remarkably  accomplished  cheat !  The  appellation  is 
not  any  harsher  than  it  should  be.  Her  name  was 
quite  familiar  to  the  public  some  years  ago — but  I  pre- 
sume that  it  is  nearly  or  quite  forgotten  now. 

When  natural  beauty  efface  and  form  accompanies  a 
bright  intellect,  all  heightened  by  the  artificial  attrac- 
tions and  the  educational  accomplishments  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  we  have  everything  necessary  for  the 
8 


170  THE   BLUSHING   BRIDE. 

perfection  of  real  divinities  to  enslave  the  affection  of 
a  masculine  saint ! 

For  modern  appreciation,  physical  beauty  certainly  is 
the  choicest  gift  that  Nature  can  bestow  upon  a  woman. 
Other  attractions  she  may  acquire.  A  beautiful  face  is 
absolutely  natural.  Art  may  hide  defects — but  it  can 
not  physically  transform ! 

Lady  Levasseur  had  the  double  advantage  of  natural 
beauty  and  a  polished  mind.  Her  father  wras  a  wealthy 
banker,  and  she  an  only  daughter.  She  was  in  all 
respects  fitted  for  the  wife  of  a  gentleman  occupying  an 
exalted  position.  Alluding  to  her  marriage,  the  "  New 
Orleans  Picayune  "  closed  thus : 

"  Elegantly  robed  in  white,  the  belle  of  the  Crescent 
City  blushed  and  bowed  at  the  hymeneal  altar.  The 
ceremony  over,  the  happy  couple,  attended  by  the  bridal 
guests,  passed  down  the  church  aisle  for  exit  at  the  door 
where  their  carriages  stood  in  waiting.  A  long,  white 
vail  concealed  the  bride's  features  as  they  withdrew,  but 
the  face  of  the  handsome  and  noble  bridegroom  was  all 
radiant  with  joy." 

And  Leonore  was  beautiful,  too.  Nature  smiled  ten- 
derly upon  her.  And  though  her  education  had  been 
neglected  from  circumstances  beyond  possible  control, 
she  nevertheless  possessed  an  innate  delicacy  equal  to 
that  of  the  most  accomplished  and  refined.  The  sweet 
effeminacy  of  her  comparatively  unpolished  mind  and 
the  classic  contour  of  her  exquisite  form  bespoke  a 
superior  origin. 

Yet  there  was  no  complimentary  paragraph  in  either 
of  the  St.  Louis  papers  after  the  same  "  handsome  and 
noble  bridegroom  "  gave  his  hand  to  Leonore. 

Did  Major  Levasseur  marry  the  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished daughter  of  the  wealthy  banker  for  love  ?  He 


EVEN   LOVE   MUST   CHANGE.  171 

admired  her.  Many  other  gentlemen  did  that  much. 
She  was  a  city  belle,  and  could  have  selected  a  husband 
from  among  scores  of  gentlemen  whom  she  knew.  And 
perhaps  either  of  those  admirers  would  have  given  her 
more  tender  love  than  what  she  acquired  with  the  name 
of  Levasseur.  But  she  loved  him  to  idolatry ;  and  it 
did  seem  that  he  ought  to  have  been  supremely  happy 
with  such  a  wife. 

But  the  world  can  not  judge  between  man  and  wife. 
It  is  one  thing  to  say  what  should  be,  and  quite  another 
to  prophesy  the  result.  That  indescribable  "some- 
thing "  which  is  a  stumbling-block  to  so  many  hopes 
and  loves  in  this  misguided  world,  existed  (or  did  not 
exist)  between  Levasseur  and  his  elegant  bride.  He 
was  not  happy,  while  she  thought  her  happiness  com- 
plete. She  loved  him,  and  he  knew  it.  He  said  that  he 
loved  her,  and  she  believed  him.  And  their  acquaint- 
ances pronounced  them  a  model  pair !  And  thus  their 
first  year  of  wedded  life  soon  passed  away ! 

But  changes  continually  occur  with  all  things,  and 
everywhere.  Nothing  can  remain  the  same.  Increasing 
or  decreasing  is  the  perpetually  inexorable  law  govern- 
ing substance,  life  and  feeling  !  The  instant  of  arrival 
at  maturity  is  the  beginning  of  decay.  Even  our  love 
increases  until  attaining  its  zenith,  and  then  diminishes 
every  hour.  We  do  not  love  and  continue  loving  pre- 
cisely the  same  !  Either  we  love  more  or  we  love  less ! 
All  is  transitory.  What  appears  stationary  and  eternal, 
is  changing  while  we  look  upon  it  as  fixed  forever! 
Perpetual  change  leaves  nothing  to-morrow  as  it  was 
yesterday. 

Levasseur  had  his  wife,  and  he  had  her  love  and  her 
father's  money.  He  bargained  for  all  thtt,  and  gave 
his  name  and  his  hand,  and  -promised  her  his  love  in  ex- 


172  HUSBAND    AND   WIFE. 

change.  'Twas  a  bargain  that  he  coveted,  and  yet  it 
did  not  seem  to  satisfy  him.  He  wanted  to  be  a  good 
husband !  At  least  he  thought  so.  But  in  the  bonds 
of  mati-imony,  how  could  he  love  any  one  except  his 
wife,  without  a  violation  of  the  sacred  ties  binding  him  ? 
Legal  statutes,  social  laws  and  divine  mandates  required 
him  to  love  his  wedded  wife  and  only  her !  How  was 
it  possible  for  him  to  do  that  while  coveting  what  he 
did  not  possess  ? 

The  wealthy  banker  in  New  Orleans  died !  His  only 
daughter  became  Levasseur's  bride  in  the  autumn,  and 
when  summer  brought  its  fruits  and  flowers,  they  laid 
him  in  the  grave ! 

Lady  Levasseur  was  parentless  then.  Her  mother 
died  before  she  could  remember.  She  was  not  only  an 
orphan,  but  had  very  few  relatives  whom  she  knew. 
Her  father  and  her  mother  both  came  from  abroad,  and 
neither  of  them  ever  said  much  about  their  family  con- 
nections. But  her  mother's  brother,  a  wealthy  bachelor 
engaged  in  some  foreign  trade,  was  then  living  in  New 
Orleans. 

Yet  the  elegant  lady,  with  but  a  solitary  consanguin- 
eous tie,  inherited  a  large  fortune,  and  bore  the  name 
of  a  noble  husband.  The  domestic  slaves  of  her  de- 
ceased father's  estate  thought  no  other  lady  could  equal 
their  beautiful  young  mistress ;  and  she  regarded  them 
with  gratitude  and  affection  in  return.  Only  two  of 
them,  Sancho  and  Dinah.  A  venerable  couple,  who  first 
taught  her  baby-limbs  to  perform  their  duties  of  life, 
and  had  ever  after  striven  to  anticipate  and  gratify  her 
expanding  wants.  She  even  learned  to  call  Dinah  by 
the  endearing  name  of  Mamma,  and  Sancho  by  that  of 
Uncle !  Her  father  made  no  objection  to  that. 

Most  Northern  parents  would  have  experienced  a 


PREJUDICE    NOT   FEELING.  173 

dreadful  shock  to  hear  their  daughter  address  a  colored 
servant  in  such  terms,  while  it  was  considered  merely  a 
pleasant  kindness  among  those  accustomed  to  the  insti- 
tution of  slavery.  Such  is  the  difference  between 
acquired  prejudice  and  spontaneous  feeling ! 

The  noble  husband  of  the  banker's  daughter  obtainec 
great  riches  which  she  did  not  trouble  herself  to  count. 
He  made  investments  and  went  into  disastrous  specula- 
tions, which  lessened  the  bulk  of  a  vast  estate  until  it 
became  advisable  to  remove  his  habitation. 

The  City  of  New  York  is  a  favorite  harbor  for  deluded 
adventurers  when  threatening  storms  darken  the  horizon 
of  their  chimerical  sea ;  and  it  seems  to  be  the  final  re- 
sort of  many  a  desperate  mortal,  where,  for  a  brief 
period,  avenging  wrath  can  be  stayed  with  the  possi- 
bility of  multiplied  horrors  when  the  last  ray  of  hope 
has  gone ! 

Levasseur  sold  out  in  New  Orleans ;  and  he  resolved 
to  sell  Sancho  and  Dinah  with  everything  else.  But 
their  mistress  shuddered  at  that  suggestion.  Sancho, 
with  his  head  as  white  as  snow ;  and  Dinah,  with  her 
hair  all  frosty,  too.  Poor  old  slaves !  Part  with  them  ? 
No,  no !  It  was  the  first  time  in  her  life  that  she  re- 
solved to  oppose  the  decree  of  either  father  or  husband. 
He  said  they  must  be  sold,  and  she  declared  that  they 
never  should  be  taken  from  her.  She  repeated  never  in 
a  tone  emphatic  enough  for  even  Levasseur  to  fully 
Comprehend  her  meaning. 

What  tears  of  gratitude  Dinah  and  Sancho  shed ! 
Sell  them?  She  would  a  thousand  times  rather  set 
them  free.  Yet  neither  Sancho  nor  Dinah  wished  for 
that.  They  had  no  use  for  freedom.  How  could  they 
leave  their  dear  young  mistress,  while  loving  her  with 
the  affection  of  fond  parents  for  a  darling  child  ?  They 


174  A   CLEVEK   FINANCIER. 

would  be  her  slaves  forever !  The  master  yielded  with- 
out much  persuasion  when  he  saw  their  mutual  affection. 

And  then  they  all  found  a  new  home  in  the  great 
Northern  city,  where  Levasseur  purchased  a  costly 
mansion  to  dwell  in.  And,  as  a  manifestation  of  kind- 
ness toward  his  loving  wife,  he  caused  the  deed  to  be 
executed  in  her  name.  How  generous  a  husband  may 
appear,  when,  with  a  small  part  of  the  wealth  acquired 
by  marriage,  he  buys  a  residence  in  his  wife's  name ! 
Such  magnanimity  is  characteristic  of  some  rogues  who 
might  be  named ! 

The  lord  and  master  of  the  mansion  deeded  in  his 
wife's  name  was  induced  to  embark  in  certain  specula- 
tions then  carried  on  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi River.  And  thus  he  was  necessarily  absent 
much  of  his  time,  on  business  matters  at  Washington, 
and  in  making  journeys  to  the  North-west. 

Five  of  the  first  settlers  of  Minnesota,  now  living  in 
the  City  of  St.  Paul,  still  have  some  recollection  of  the 
handsome  Major,  whose  clever  financiering  taught  them 
to  play  sharp  or  lose.  But  none  of  them  suspected  that 
he  was  the  grandson  of  a  distinguished  French  marquis. 
Yet  he  could  "handle  choice  corner  lots"  in  embryo 
cities  and  incipient  towns,  with  the  shrewdest  specu- 
lator— and  doubtless  the  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania 
who  "  disliked  auburn  hair,"  might  enjoy  a  perusal  of 
his  subsequent  career  in  life.  I  am  quite  positive  that 
the  remembrance  of  a  "  three-wheeled  buggy "  would 
recall  a  trifling  incident  to  the  mind  of  a  "Western 
Judge  who  knew  something  of  the  Major's  skill  in 
pugilistic  recreation.  The  Honorable  -  — ,  of  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  paid  a  wine  bill  of  one  hundred  and  thir- 
teen dollars,  in  addition  to  several  thousands  staked  at 
cards,  one  night  on  board  a  Mississippi  steamer  while 


THE  LADIES'  MAN.  175 

going  up  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Major  Levasseur  won 
that  money,  and  afterward  turned  it  into  land,  which 
the  Honorable  gentleman  subsequently  bought  at  a 
"forced"  sale. 

Before  his  trip  to  Selkirk  Colony,  Levasseur  had  made 
the  personal  acquaintance  of  numerous  "  representative 
men  "  from  the  North-west,  who  visited  Washington  for 
State  purposes  or  to  secure  their  individual  aggrandize- 
ment by  National  legislation.  Yet,  as  he  never  alluded 
to  his  wife,  it  was  generally  inferred  that  no  matrimo- 
nial obligations  existed  in  denial  of  the  privileges  which 
he  claimed  in  ladies'  society.  And  the  fair  sex  seemed 
to  be  unanimous  in  their  admiration  of  him,  either  as  a 
gallant  cavalier  or  a  capital  prize  in  the  marriage  lot- 
tery. He  was,  in  all  respects,  a  popular  man.  Certainly 
he  was  handsome,  or  the  ladies  would  not  have  been  so 
eager  for  an  introduction.  That  his  natural  gifts  had 
been  highly  improved  by  education  was  plainly  evident 
from  the  ease  with  which  he  infatuated  so  many  almost 
at  the  first  meeting.  Handsome,  intelligent,  witty,  ac- 
complished, refined  and  rich !  What  other  qualities 
were  required  to  exalt  a  man  in  the  estimation  of  the 
fair  sex?  A  hereditary  title  of  nobility  would  have 
made  his  individuality  a  captivating  perfection  in  the 
eyes  of  every  lady  whom  he  met. 

And  though  Levasseur's  acquaintances  in  this  country 
were  ignorant  of  his  royal  pedigree,  it  was  surmised  by 
more  than  one  romantically  inclined  admirer  that  he 
might  be  some  prince  or  duke  in  disguise.  That  he  per- 
sistently declined  to  reveal  his  birth,  and  rank  among 
noblesse,  was  not  any  more  remarkable  than  a  similar 
taciturnity  maintained  by  other  exiles  from  France.  A 
political  convulsion  had  then  banished  many  proud 
grandees,  who  discreetly  assumed  untitled  names  and 


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p-^^^sa^S 
o   *  "3   -   =  ••> 

^sllig-si 

•?  s  -°  -  -  a  s 
<*  t,  *s  3.  ~  ^  •* 
~  *  *  "S  ~  -»  <B 


A  A  a  c.«J  o 


—  V  •=  c 


PRINCIPLE   AND   BELIEF.  177 

remained  incognito  until  the  storm  passed  over.  Levas- 
seur  also  had  his  own  reasons  for  anything  he  did. 

But  his  trip  to  Selkirk  Colony  proved  fatal  in  more 
ways  than  one.  He  had  just  devised  an  entirely  orig- 
inal business  speculation ;  and  it  seemed  very  probable 
that  his  somewhat  depleted  exchequer  might  be  speedily 
running  over  again  with  the  proceeds  of  a  new  venture. 
The  fur  trade  was  a  very  lucrative  operation,  and  in 
connection  therewith  he  proposed  to  establish  a  still 
more  profitable  enterprise.  His  negotiation  with  the 
governor  of  the  Colony  secured  all  the  advantages  he 
desired  for  opening  one  of  the  grandest  schemes  ever 
thought  of  in  that  region. 

But,  alas !  he  there  beheld  the  lustrous  eyes  of  Leo- 
nore,  who  was  destined  to  enslave  his  heart !  Those 
exquisite  optical  orbs  should  have  brought  the  beautiful 
orphan  happiness  instead  of  blighting  the  future  of  so 
many  lives ! 

The  husband  who  promised  to  love  his  beautiful  and 
accomplished  wife  was  instantly  fascinated  by  an  artless 
girl.  Her  simple  beauty  so  fastened  upon  his  heart  that 
in  a  moment  he  resolved  to  risk  every  other  object  in 
life  to  make  her  his  own.  And  had  he  not  been  fettered 
by  lawful  ties  to  another,  that  sweet  orphan  might  have 
become  the  solace  of  his  wandering  heart.  Ah !  but 
that  could  not  be ;  and  so  deception  must  conceal  his 
true  position.  Thus  infatuated  beyond  redemption,  he 
cautiously  and  artfully  wooed  her  with  the  pleasant 
belief  that  she  was  the  only  being  whom  he  ever  purely 
loved. 

I  am  prepared  for  a  sneer  in  response  to  the  sugges- 
tion of  anything  like  pure  love  in  Levasseiir's  infatu- 
ation. Generally  it  is  a  popular  and  professedly  sincere 
principle  that  love  cannot  exist  without  the  permission 


MARRIAGE    LOTTERY. 

of  legal  statutes  or  ecclesiastical  sanction.  And  it  is  so 
believed  by  some  who  forget  that  natural  laws  existed 
anterior  to  the  enactments  of  Church  or  State.  Many 
good  Christians  never  dare  think  or  question  beyond 
clerical  rites  and  secular  customs.  And  it  is  well  for 
themselves,  and  others,  too,  that  they  never  do. 

Marriage  is  a  very  excellent  institution.  We  all 
maintain  that  view  of  the  question.  Nevertheless,  it 
frequently  causes  a  vast  amount  of  misery,  while  no 
nation  can  prosper  without  it.  Society  would  dissolve 
into  barbarism,  and  moral  darkness  would  soon  obscure 
the  light  of  human  reason,  were  there  no  laws  to  pre- 
serve virtue  and  protect  the  hereditary  rights  of  chil- 
dren. Yet  I  fearlessly  assert  that  marriage  is  a  precari- 
ous lottery,  and — not  unfrequently  a  moral  fraud  !  It 
is  open  to  all  manner  of  deception  and  even  heinous 
crimes!  Ofttimes  it  is  a  mask  of  hypocrisy,  beneath 
which  exists  a  moral  leprosy,  a  cankered  heart,  or  a  fes- 
tered soul ! 

The  despoiler  of  innocence  and  the  robber  of  wealth 
is  amenable  to  the  law ;  and  yet  if  he  marries  his  vic- 
tim, the  law  pronounces  him  a  worthy  man !  In  either 
case,  she  may  not  have  his  love ;  and  therefore  robbery 
and  desertion  would  be  preferable  to  the  society  of  such 
a  man  for  life.  But  this  is  seditious  reasoning,  and  I 
will  not  pursue  it  further  than  to  explain  the  position 
of  Levasseur,  whose  villainy  in  marrying  his  wife  might 
have  been  worse  than  that  committed  in  the  deception 
of  Leonore !  That  he  was  a  villain  to  deceive  and  then 
desert  the  unsuspecting  girl,  no  one  can  deny.  And  he 
himself  admitted  the  crime. 

Then  he  did  not  love  her,  after  all  ? 

Oh,  yes  he  did !  He  loved  her  more  than  he  did  his 
wife.  But  circumstances  hemmed  him  in.  A  discov- 


DUTY   AND    DESIRE.  179 

ery  was  accidentally  made  by  those  who  would  not 
hesitate  to  expose  him  in  such  a  way  as  to  ruin  him  and 
others,  too. 

His  wife  ?  Not  loving  her,  he  scarcely  would  have 
trembled  in  fear  that  she  might  discover  his  perfidy. 
Possibly  he  was  a  coward !  His  vanity,  or  as  an  anony- 
mous writer  for  a  popular  magazine  would  say,  "  his 
humanity  compelled  him  to  surrender  to  the  dictates  of 
better  sense."  Whatever  the  incentive  might  have 
been,  he  deserted  Leonore  out  of  regard  for  his  wife. 

Was  that  possible,  when  he  did  not  love  her  as  much 
as  he  loved  Leonore  ? 

Yes !  Such  are  the  inscrutable  workings  of  human 
reason  when  embarrassed  by  duty  and  perverted  by 
dangerous  passions. 

After  winning  the  beautiful  orphan's  love  and  deceiv- 
ing her  with  a  false  marriage,  how  could  he  crush  his 
own  love  and  hers  by  abandonment  in  that  cruel  way  ? 

Phineas  O'Brien  had  something  to  do  with  the  enor- 
mity of  that  wrong.  Levasseur  supplied  him  with  abun- 
dant means  to  make  every  provision  for  the  comfortable 
maintenance  of  Madame  and  Leonore,  until  he  should 
return  from  a  pretended  voyage  to  Europe,  which  an 
unexpected  misfortune  in  business  compelled  him  to 
make.  He  wrote  a  parting  letter  for  Leonore,  and 
stated  plausible  reasons  for  not  having  time  to  say  fare- 
well in  person.  The  letter  also  contained  assurances  of 
his  regret  and  eventual  return,  together  with  a  state- 
ment that  he  had  made  arrangements  for  their  support 
while  he  remained  away.  Phineas  was  to  deliver  that 
letter ;  but  the  rascal  kept  it  to  put  with  others  that 
were  subsequently  written  for  an  explanation  why  no 
response  had  been  given  to  the  first. 

Phineas  retained  all  the  letters   and  spent   all  the 


180  THE  APOSTATE'S  REPENTANCE! 

money.  He  forged  answers  to  Levasseur,  who  thought 
they  came  from  Madame,  and  in  that  way  he  kept  up  a 
bountiful  supply  of  money ;  until  at  length.  Levasseur 
proposed  to  reappear  in  St.  Louis  and  see  Leonore 
himself. 

Phineas  would  be  caught  in  his  rascality,  if  Levasseur 
did  as  he  suggested.  And  thereupon  he  wrote,  in  appar- 
ent haste  and  surprise,  to  inform  Levasseur  that  Madame 
and  Leonore  had  suddenly  left  the  city.  Relying  upon 
his  vassal,  the  principal  rogue  was  thus  deceived. 

And  then  Levasseur  repented.  The  utter  loss  of 
Leonore  produced  a  great  revulsion  in  his  feelings ;  and 
if  she  could  be  found,  he  resolved  to  never  desert  her 
again.  Phineas  was  instructed  to  find  her  at  any  co*t. 
While  trifling  with  Madame  before  she  and  Leonore 
actually  left  St.  Louis,  he  had  been  enriching  himself 
from  Levasseur's  purse  by  continued  deception,  so  that, 
when  they  did  leave,  he  was  frightened,  and  forthwith 
drowned  unpleasant  reflections  by  a  career  of  inebriety 
which  finally  resulted  in  his  death. 

'There  was  a  brawl  among  a  gang  of  deck-hands  from 
a  steamer,  and  a  pistol  discharged,  by  whom  none  could 
telL  In  that  way  Phineas  O'Brien  was  shot.  He  lin- 
gered a  few  days  in  great  agony,  and  then,  like  his 
father,  went  to  a  pauper's  grave  ! 

Meanwhile  Levasseur  was  frantically  searching  for 
his  lost  love.  And  where  could  Phineas  be  ?  The 
police  reports  in  St.  Louis  settled  that.  Phineas  had 
been  his  base  of  hope.  He  was  dead,  and  there  seemed 
no  prospect  of  ever  finding  the  beautiful  girl.  Yet 
while  the  penitent  man  sought  for  her  in  St.  Louis,  she 
was  in  New  York.  Had  he  known  that,  how  happy  he 
would  have  been. 

In  despair,   he  went  to  Washington    on    business. 


MOKE   TANGIBLE   THAN   FICTION.  jgj 

While  there,  Florinda's  letter  informed  him  of  the 
events  in  his  mansion  at  home.  She  announced  the 
birth  of  a  daughter,  and  at  the  same  time  mentioned 
the  presence  of  Madame  Zorah.  And  cruel  as  it  was, 
he  scarcely  rejoiced  at  being  a  father,  so  delightful  was 
the  anticipation  of  once  more  clasping  the  sweet  orphan 
girl  in  his  arms  ! 

And  here  I  must  add  the  assurance  that  this  is  not  all 
imagination.  It  may  seem  totally  unnatural  to  those 
who  have  never  lifted  the  glossy  veil  of  deception  which 
is  drawn  over  the  face  of  actual  truth  and  studiously 
tucked  in  at  the  corners  to  shut  out  the  inquisitive  gaze 
of  even  bosom  friends,  while  experience  has  proven  to 
some  that  almost  precisely  similar  occurrences  stand 
recorded  in  memory  against  the  victims  of  unhappy 
conjugal  alliances.  Therefore  I  shall  assert  that  the 
untoward  state  of  Major  Levasseur's  mind  was  not  only 
an  unfortunate  reality,  but  simply  one  among  the  mul- 
tivious  eruptions  of  fidelity  in  wedded  life.  And  though 
the  portrait  be  ever  so  odious  a  picture,  it  has  had  an 
existence  more  tangible  than  that  of  a  villain  hero* in 
fiction. 

A  terrible  warning  to  those  who  entertain  similarly 
prodigal  views  regarding  the  sacred  obligations  of  wed- 
ded life.  Without  any  affectedly  moralizing  intention, 
I  might  seriously  intimate  that  connubial  apostasy  is 
very  rapidly  increasing  among  youthful  benedicts  and 
middle-aged  fathers  in  the  opulent,  if  not  exalted, 
spheres  of  society.  It  is  not  only  possible,  but  beyond 
a  doubt,  that  the  pernicious  teachings  of  those  itinerant 
agitators  who  persistently  strive  to  establish  a  code  of 
gynecocracy  are,  more  than  any  other  class  of  demoral- 
izing influences,  guilty  of  propagating  the  germs  of 
matrimonial  inconstancy,  aversion,  and  divorce ! 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


LADY  LEVASSEUR  calmly  re- 
posed in  the  midst  of  luxury, 
wishing  for  nothing  except  her 
husband's  speedy  return. 

Poor  Leonore  crouched  in  the 
miserable  attic,  weeping  for  the 
loss  of  everything  dear  to  her 
heart. 

Florinda  was  feverish  and  cross 
with  artful  devices  and  vague 
fears. 

Madame's  wrinkles  were  get- 
ting deeper  from  wicked  designs  and  pretended  smiles. 
Levasseur  decided  upon  plans  and  then  shrank  from 
the  execution  of  them.  He  was  really  the  master  of  all, 
but  had  not  the  courage  to  assume  command.  Possi- 
bly his  torture  was  worse  than  that  of  his  victims.  To 
say  the  least,  he  was  a  wretched  man. 

In  imagination  during  the  day  he  continually  saw 
Leonore.  Her  magnificent  eyes,  all  bleared  with  tears, 
haunted  him  everywhere.  In  his  dreams  at  night  her 
imploring  pale  face  was  before  him,  and  he  heard  her 


184  TORTURE   AND   DESPAIR. 

voice  piteously  beseeching  him  to  return.  That  fatal 
love  was  kindling  up  again  with  a  delirious  passion  far 
surpassing  the  ardor  which  impelled  him  when  he  whis- 
pered those  tender  words  of  wooing  in  her  ear. 

He  asked  himself  why  she  left  St.  Louis  ?  And  then 
his  heart  beat  to  think  that  she  might  be  seeking  him. 
He  must  see  her  immediately  and  have  a  reconciliation. 
He  would  fly  to  her  by  the  very  next  train ! 

In  a  fit  of  desperation  he  paid  his  hotel  bill,  and  told 
a  porter  to  carry  his  baggage  to  the  depot  for  New 
York.  And  he  did  that  while  Florinda's  letters  begged 
him  not  to  come  until  matters  were  arranged.  But 
what  did  he  care  for  Florinda  or  her  advice  ?  She  was 
a  mere  cipher  in  his  path  to  Leonore. 

His  wife  ?  Ah !  what  of  her  ?  He  almost  groaned 
aloud  when  that  thought  came  up  in  his  wildly  excited 
mind.  His  beautiful  wife,  who  loved  him  so  dearly, 
and  who  had  just  borne  him  a  child !  Oh,  he  would  not 
think  of  her  then.  He  must  first  console  Leonore  and 
be  soothed  by  her  in  return.  He  could  pacify  his  wife 
after  that !  She  was  doing  well  enough,  and  so  was  her 
babe! 

Something  said  to  him,  "  Beware  !"  Pshaw  !  There 
was  no  superstition  in  him,  and  he  would  not  listen  to 
imaginary  fears. 

Leaving  an  order  that  all  letters  for  him  should  be 
remailed  to  New  York,  he  hastened  to  the  depot.  He 
was  just  in  time  to  see  the  train  gliding  out  on  the  line 
of  rail,  but  too  late  by  half  a  minute  for  a  seat  in  the 
cars.  The  next  train  went  to-morrow;  and  he  must 
wait  until  then ! 

That  evening  a  letter  came  to  tell  him  of  a  strange 
event.  It  was  written  by  Florinda,  and  might  have 
averted  a  fatal  calamity  had  he  seen  the  contents  there- 


A   DANGEROUS   PLAN.  185 

of.  But  the  order  for  remailing  his  letters  was  promptly 
complied  with,  and  the  morning  train  by  which  he  went 
to  New  York  also  carried  back  the  important  missive. 

Meanwhile,  Madame  was  consummating  her  dire  re- 
venge !  Finding  that  Leonore  would  not  be  silenced 
without  the  restoration  of  her  child,  she  resolved  to 
make  a  confession. 

Leonore  was  horrified — as  might  have  been  expected. 
But  for  the  sake  of  her  own  precious  darling,  she  reluc- 
tantly coincided  with  the  plan  of  her  resolute  grandma. 
That  plan  was  a  wildly  rash  and  a  dangerous  one. 

Leonore's  nurse  was  informed  that  some  very  rich 
lady  wanted  to  adopt  the  child.  Then  Madame  carried 
it  away.  The  nurse  thought  Leonore  submitted  with 
but  little  regret.  But  what  Madame  really  did  with 
the  infant  heiress  was  a  secret  of  her  own ! 

By  administering  a  certain  specific  absorbent,  Mad- 
ame had  already  purposely  destroyed  the  mammillary 
nourishment  of  Lady  Levasseur.  Then  naturally  sug- 
gesting the  usual  substitute  in  such  emergencies,  she 
also  said  that  her  daughter  had  recently  become  a 
widow,  and  that  she  was  obliged  to  part  with  her  own 
babe  for  adoption.  Poverty  compelled  her  to  give  up 
her  child,  and  the  same  necessity  would  induce  her  to 
serve  Lady  Levasseur. 

And  Madame  actually  planned  to  take  the  poor  girl 
into  the  very  dwelling  of  her  husband,  and  into  the 
confidential  service  of  his  wife !  Could  Leonore  go 
there  and  do  all  that,  knowing  the  truth  ?  Such  was 
Madam e's  daring.  Yet  she  did  not  intend  that  Leonore 
should  know  who  the  lady  was. 

Levasseur's  portrait  hung  over  the  mantel — and  Leo- 
nore would  recognize  it  as  quickly  as  her  grandma  had 
done.  The  picture  must  be  removed.  But  how? 


186  GATHERING    OF   THE    STORM. 

Madame  soon  devised  a  plan  for  that.  She  accidentally 
broke  the  cord  in  pretending  to  dust  off  the  top.  The 
entire  structure  fell  to  the  floor,  and  the  frame  was 
badly  broken.  How  easy  it  was  to  have  it  taken  away 
by  an  artisan,  so  that  the  damage  might  be  nicely  re- 
paired before  the  master's  return. 

Leonore  remarked  that  the  lady's  name  was  the  same 
as  her  husband's.  Madame  explained  how  that  was 
nothing.  She  would  frequently  meet  people  of  the 
same  name,  who  were  in  no  way  related  to  each  other. 

If  Levasseur  had  not  been  too  late  for  the  train  when 
he  intended  to  leave  Washington,  his  arrival  would 
have  prevented  Leonore  entering  his  house  to  be  the 
nurse  of  her  own  child ;  or  had  he  but  received  Flo- 
rinda's  letter  which  was  returned  on  the  very  train  that 
he  went  home  in,  he  might  have  been  less  precipitous  in 
his  action. 

Florinda  tried  to  make  other  arrangements  for  Lady 
Levasseur ;  but  Madame  scowled  and  whispered  that  it 
would  be  dangerous  to  betray  her.  Florinda  under- 
stood what  she  meant,  and  wisely  made  no  further 
opposition. 

Leonore  tremblingly  entered  the  presence  of  Lady 
Levasseur ! 

Seeing  so  much  luxury  and  so  many  beautiful  things 
that  were  new  and  novel  to  her,  she  might  have  lost 
herself  in  admiration,  had  not  maternal  feelings  been 
uppermost  in  her  mind.  But  Lady  Levasseur  received 
her  kindly,  and  was  greatly  pleased  to  see  how  she 
caressed  the  child. 

Where  was  Florinda  at  that  time  ?  Her  presence,  il 
nothing  else,  would  certainly  open  Leonore's  eyes. 
And  really  there  was  not  another  person  in  existence 
who  more  bitterly  wished  Leonore  harm.  Florinda's 


THE    RIVAL   MOTHERS.  187 

hate  for  her  was  even  worse  than  that  which  she  enter- 
tained for  her  grandma.  But  Madame's  cunning  was 
as  marvelous  as  her  daring.  In  duplicity  she  could 
outwit  a  deeper  mind  than  that  of  Florinda.  And 
when  resolved  upon  anything,  it  was  sure  to  be  done. 
Her  unrelenting  obstinacy  would  accomplish  almost 
any  undertaking.  The  boldness  of  her  plan  in  the 
Levasseur  mansion,  proved  what  she  was  capable  of 
attempting  and  competent  to  perform. 

And  Florinda  actually  succumbed,  with  a  promise 
not  to  reveal  herself  in  person  or  otherwise.  She  must 
assist  or  contend  with  great  odds  against  her.  Possibly 
some  underplot  was  putting  Madame  in  a  masterly 
position  ? 

Leonore  took  the  babe  in  her  arms,  and  almost 
devoured  it  with  kisses.  It  was  her  own,  and  every 
feeling  within  her  responded  to  its  smile. 

"  You  seem  fond  of  children,"  said  Lady  Levasseur. 

"  Oh,  very !"  responded  Madame,  before  Leonore 
could  utter  any  reply.  "She  now  loves  that  just  as 
much  as  if  it  was  her  own !" 

Leonore  trembled  and  turned  her  large  eyes  implor- 
ingly upon  her  grandma. 

"And  the  little  darling  has  already  taken  quite  a 
fancy  to  you !"  smiled  Lady  Levasseur. 

Madame  laughed  and  said,  "  You  must  not  be  jealous 
if  my  grand-daughter  should  imagine  that  she  is  nursing 
her  own  child !" 

Leonore's  heart  was  in  her  mouth.  Her  grandma 
was  cruel  to  make  those  allusions.  But  there  was  so 
much  pent  up  in  Madame's  bosom  that  she  could  not 
keep  from  saying  what  she  did.  Oh,  how  she  exulted ! 
Her  old  eyes  fairly  danced  while  Leonore's  heart  was 
fluttering  with  fearful  emotion. 


188  THE    ABYSS    OF   KUEff. 

The  street-door  bell  rang  one  afternoon ;  not  as  it 
usually  did,  but  quick  and  loud.  They  all  heard  it ; 
yet  none  of  them  were  prepared  for  the  result. 

Florinda  was  in  the  library,  and  she  instantly  recog- 
nized a  familiar  voice  in  the  vestibule. 

"  Major  Levasseur !"  she  unconsciously  exclaimed, 
turning  very  pale  and  bounding  from  her  seat. 

The  lord  of  the  mansion  met  her  in  the  hall.  She 
was  in  time  to  give  him  warning  and  avert  the  denoue- 
ment threatening  to  annihilate  even  her  own  hopes  of 
the  future.  She  tried  to  say  something,  but  her  tongue 
would  not  move.  And  she  staggered  back  into  the 
library,  while  he  quickly  ascended  the  stairs. 

A  kiss  for  his  wife ;  and  a  smile  of  welcome,  with  an 
ardent  embrace  in  return ! 

"  Our  first-born — it  is  there  !"  fondly  murmured 
Lady  Levasseur.  "  Baby,  darling,  its  papa  has  come !" 

The  husband  and  father  was  almost  touching  Leo- 
nore,  who  sat  like  a  statue,  with  the  child  at  her  breast. 
And  Madame  stood  close  behind  her,  apparently  pinch- 
ing her  shoulder  with  pantomimic  commands  for  silence 
and  caution.  Poor  girl !  She  was  already  overcome 
with  the  violence  of  her  emotion  ! 

Levasseur  turned  to  see  his  child,  just  as  it  slipped 
from  Leonore's  relaxed  embrace !  Madame  caught  it  in 
her  arms  and  made  an  effort  to  communicate  with  him ! 
But  her  warning  came  too  late ! 

Levasseur  was  unprepared  for  meeting  Leonore  there. 
Hurriedly  entering  his  own  dwelling,  and  almost  in  the 
very  arms  of  his  loving  wife,  they  all  went  headlong 
into  an  abyss  of  ruin  ! 

Leonore  gave  utterance  to  a  smothered  cry.  Shiver- 
ing a  moment  as  if  in  convulsions,  she  rose  to  her  feet 
and  gasped,  "Oh,  my  husband!"  That  was  all  she 


DENOUEMENT   OP  "  LOST  !"  189 

said,  while  falling  prostrate  and  senseless  upon  the  lap 
of  Lady  Levasseur.  But  it  was  more  than  enough  for 
the  keen  perception  of  a  fond  wife — and,  hurling  her  to 
the  floor,  Lady  Levasseur  made  an  effort  to  speak.  She 
could  only  clasp  her  forehead  with  her  hands  and  pant 
for  breath.  The  shock  was  too  much  for  her  brain,  and 
reason  fled ! 

And  there  in  that  luxurious  chamber,  which  should 
have  been  a  sanctuary  of  the  purest  wedded  love  and 
paternal  joy,  the  affrighted  destroyer  and  the  exulting 
instrument  of  retribution  stood  face  to  face  over  the 
senseless  forms  of  the  deceived  orphan  and  the  outraged 
wife ! 

Madame's  features  were  distorted  with  a  fiendish 
scowl  as  she  drew  her  tall  figure  to  its  utmost  height 
and  meaningly  pointed  at  the  pallid  features  of  Lady 
Levasseur.  But  Levasseur  did  not  fly  .to  the  assistance 
of  his  wife.  He  thought  only  of  Leonore,  whom  he 
gently  lifted  in  his  arms,  and  bore  into  the  dressing- 
room  ! 

And  then  Madame  smiled.  There  was  triumph  and 
cruelty  in  her  smile.  But  how  coldly  she  eyed  Lady 
Levasseur,  who  lay  stretched  out  upon  the  floor ! 

Could  Levasseur  be  sane  and  act  in  that  heartless 
manner  ?  He  was  oblivious  to  all  moral  reason,  but  far 
from  being  mad.  His  fraudulent  absence  from  Leonore 
had  not  been  willful  desertion.  Phineas  O'Brien  be- 
came demoralized  by  continued  intoxication,  and  his 
rascality  perverted  everything.  But  Phineas  was  dead, 
•and  no  explanation  had  yet  been  given  ! 

Levasseur  idolized  Leonore  with  all  the  ardor  of  a 
violent  passion  and  a  susceptible  heart  from  the  mo- 
ment he  first  saw  her — and  prolonged  separation  had 
intensified  his  feelings,  until  her  unexpected  disappear- 


WAT-AWA-RAN  ;  or  "  Red  Iron."  A  Defiant  Sioux  Chief 
who  joined  in  the  Great  Massacre. 


MARRYING   FOR   MONEY.  igj 

ance  filled  him  with  the  wildest  apprehension.  He 
knew  that  he  would  meet  Madame  in  his  wife's  chamber 
if  he  went  home.  Florinda  told  him  that  she  was  there. 
However,  he  expected  to  conciliate  her  immediately, 
and  then  fly  to  Leonore !  Madame's  sagacity  and  pres- 
ence of  mind  would  insure  discretion  on  her  part.  But 
he  did  not  know  that  she  had  every  reason  to  believe  his 
absence  the  result  of  a  cruelly  premeditated  wrong. 
Nor  had  he  taken  into  consideration  all  the  circum- 
stances, as  he  should  have  done.  Consequently,  his 
sudden  return  was  rash  and  absurd.  Such  conduct  was 
totally  unwarrantable  in  the  judgment  of  an  intelligent 
man,  possessing  the  perfect  knowledge  of  human  nature 
which  he  had  acquired  from  social  experience. 

Levasseur  was  realizing  the  dangerous  consequences 
of  marriage  for  money  !  It  has  often  been  asserted  that 
love  follows  marriage  as  a  matter  of  course.  They  say 
that  if  a  poor  girl  does  really  hate  the  rich  man  who 
offers  her  his  hand,  she  will  soon  learn  to  love  him ! 
Designing  matchmakers  talk  in  that  way.  I've  heard 
them  use  such  wicked  arguments,  and  afterward  seen 
the  happiness  of  both  husband  and  wife  blasted  forever 
by  a  natural,  if  not  an  inevitable,  result ! 

Levasseur's  prudence  was  worn  out  from  the  fear  of 
discovery  by  his  wife.  He  was  restlessly  impatient  for 
Leonore  to  repose  in  his  arms.  If  possible,  he  wished 
to  atone  for  that  unmanly  fraud  whereby  he  first  pos- 
sessed her.  He  was  irritated,  and  would  no  longer  sub- 
mit to  restraint.  But  it  was  not  his  intention  to  have 
severed  himself  so  suddenly  and  ruthlessly  from  his  lov- 
ing wife,  and  that,  too,  at  the  very  threshold  of  their 
child's  existence.  He  relied  upon  Madame's  connivance, 
for  the  sake  of  Leonore.  Florinda  would  do  whatever 
pleased  him  best !  They  would  all  conspire  with  him 


192 


VEIL    OF   INFATUATION. 


against  his  wife,  and  thus  serve  their  own  interests 
too! 

Pure-hearted  and  innocent  readers  will  refuse  to  be- 
lieve all  this.  They  judge  others  by  themselves — and  I 
sincerely  wish  there  were  more  of  those  pure  hearts  to 
be  met  with  in  my  experience  of  life.  In  some  things 
ignorance  is  bliss ;  and  I've  many  times  admitted  the 
folly  of  trying  to  be  wise.  Nevertheless,  I  can  assure 
the  skeptically  inclined  that  moral  philosophers  easily 
perceive  the  inharmonious  compulsion  of  domestic 
society  when  coerced  by  the  rigid  formality  of  unnat- 
ural laws ! 

Levasseur  was  precisely  the  villain  that  I  represent 
him.  Not  a  mere  ideal  monster,  created  by  my  imagi- 
nation to  horrify  the  reader.  He  was  just  that  "  living 
man  among  men."  And  the  subsequent  unhappiness  of 
his  mortal  existence  abundantly  prove  that  there  is  no 
atonement  for  him  this  side  of  the  grave ! 

Carrying  Leonore  into  the  dressing-room,  he  closed 
the  door  after  him,  and  sat  down  with  her  in  his  arms. 
A  veil  of  infatuation  hung  about  him  and  shut  out  the 
entire  world.  And  though  he  had  left  his  wife  lying 
senseless  in  the  adjoining  chamber,  he  seemed  to  be 
totally  unconscious  of  the  fact !  His  entire  feeling  was 
centred  in  Leonore,  whom  he  wildly  pressed  to  his 
heaving  bosom ! 

"  How  changed !  But  more  beautiful  than  before !" 
he  murmured,  while  gazing  upon  her  pale  features,  as  if 
abstractedly  viewing  a  picture.  And  then  his  eyes  be- 
gan to  dance  with  sudden  animation.  His  heart  flut- 
tered, and  his  cheeks  were  crimsoned  with  a  warm  flush. 
Hot  kisses  were  lavished  upon  her  insensible  lips,  and 
his  beard  mingled  with  her  dark  curls  ! 

The  chamber  door  opened  noiselessly,  and  Madame 


A    DOUBLE    CHALLENGE.  1Q3 

entered  silently  and  unobserved.  She  meant  to  close 
the  door  after  her,  but  it  was  left  slightly  ajar.  Behind 
Levasseur,  and  gloating  on  the  scene,  she  stood  like  the 
incarnate  personification  of  exulting  fury.  Her  dim  eyes 
were  strained  half  out  of  their  sockets,  her  lean  mascu- 
line neck  was  stretched  forth  eagerly,  and  her  slender 
fingers  lashed  her  hands !  The  veins  of  her  neck  and 
face  and  forehead  were  swollen  and  deeply  blue,  in 
frightful  contrast  with  the  yellow  hue  of  her  withered 
skin !  Her  lips  moved  in  twitches — yet  she  did  not 
speak  to  relieve  the  volcano  of  agitation  within !  But 
when  she  saw  Levasseur's  hot  breath  warming  Leonore's 
lips,  that  were  almost  cold,  her  wrinkled  visage  relaxed 
into  a  pardoning  smile !  Then,  touching  Levasseur's 
arm,  she  startled  him  from  his  fatal  delirium ! 

"  Fool,  to  bring  her  here !"  he  growled,  like  some 
wild  animal  clinging  to  its  prey.  "  You  have  ruined 
all !"  he  added,  as  if  suddenly  humanized  to  a  sense  of 
his  real  position. 

"  I  brought  her  here  to  provide  natural  nourishment 
for  your  child !" 

"What!  She  nurse  my  wife's  child?  Remember 
this  is  not  the  time  or  place  for  jesting !"  He  spoke  in 
anger.  "She  can  not  supply  such  nourishment.  She 
is " 

"  A  mother  herself!"  interrupted  Madame.  "  A  wife 
and  a  mother,  too  !" 

In  dismay,  he  gasped,  "  Where  is  her  husband  and 
child  ?" 

"  Her  husband  is  here — holding  her  in  his  arms !  Her 
child — no  matter  where  !" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"Just  what  I  say.     You  are  her  husband  and  the 
father  of  her  child !" 
9 


194  THE   INEVITABLE    COMPACT. 

She  spoke  fiercely ;  and  her  unusual  manner  and 
strange  declaration  were  seriously  disconcerting  him. 
But  he  would  not  show  any  fear. 

"  A  man  can  not  have  two  wives !"  he  calmly  replied. 

"  Villain  !  You  thought  to  cheat  us  with  a  sham 
marriage,  and  you  succeeded!  But  your  false  priest 
made  a  confession  to  me  !  You  deceived  yourself  in  the 
ceremony.  It  was  perfectly  legal.  The  existence  of  a 
previous  wife  necessarily  subjects  you  to  punishment 
for  the  crime  of  bigamy !  I  know  all !" 

"  Hush  !  Here  is  money  !  Not  another  word.  If 
gold  will  satisfy  you,  I  can  make  it  all  right.  Serve 
me,  and  you  shall  be  rich !  Invent  some  plausible  ex- 
cuse for  all  this  confusion.  Deceive  my  wife  if  possible  ! 
Quick !  Decide !" 

Madame  took  the  prolfered  money,  and,  pondering  a 
moment,  finally  said : 

"First  tell  me  what  you  intend  doing.  If  the  law 
allows  you  but  one  wife,  which  shall  be  your  choice  ?" 

He  kissed  Leonore,  and  declared  that  she  should  be 
nearest  to  his  heart  in  future ! 

There  was  still  more  change  in  the  expression  of 
Madame's  features.  And  she  inquired  if  he  really  love  1 1 
Leonore ! 

"  Yes !     Better  than  my  own  soul !" 

"  Then  I  will  serve  you !  And  now  remember,  Major 
Levasseur,  that  we  are  under  a  solemn  compact  which 
can  not  be  broken !  You  love  her,  and  will  make  her 
your  wife,  as  you  pledged  yourself  to  before.  But  this 
time  swear  to  me  that  you  will  keep  your  second  prom- 
ise. From  this  hour,  only  Leonore  is  to  be  your  wife, 
and  to  share  your  wealth  and  position.  While  you  keep 
that  oath,  I  am  your  friend.  If  you  fail,  I  shall  find 
some  way  to  get  revenge !  Will  you  swear  ?" 


OATH    AND    SACRIFICE.  jgg 

"  You  forget  that  Lady  Levasseur  is  my  lawful  wife !" 
"  I  forget  nothing  !     There  is  no  alternative  !     In  the 

O  O 

sight  of  Heaven,  she  is  no  more  your  wife  than  Leonore, 
whom  you  taught  to  love  you,  and  then  made  her  be- 
lieve that  she  was  married  to  you  by  a  holy  priest  with 
sacred  vows.  She  gave  you  all  her  love,  and  her  very 
soul !  You  cruelly  deserted  her ;  and,  still  trusting  in 
your  return,  she  has  become  the  mother  of  your  child. 
She  has  never  lost  the  hope  of  a  happy  reunion ;  and 
earnestly  prays  for  you  every  night  before  closing  her 
eyes  in  sleep.  You  are  now  together.  Beware  of  sepa- 
ration !  I  have  heard  your  promise.  You  give  me 
gold,  and  talk  of  making  us  i-ich.  "We  accept  your 
offer.  But,  sleeping  or  waking,  I  shall  always  be  near 
you !  And  if  I  discover  treachery  on  your  part,  woe 
unto  you  !  Will  you  swear  ?" 

Major  Levasseur  raised  his  arm,  and  she  grasped  it 
tightly  as  he  articulated : 

"  Yes !  I  solemnly  swear  that  Leonore  shall  be  my 
only  love  to  the  end  of  life  !" 

"  Your  oath  is  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Fate !  Viola- 
tion of  it  will  be  death!'1''  she  said,  flinging  back  his 
arm,  with  a  laugh  in  silence  to  herself! 

The  chamber  door  was  suddenly  thrown  open,  and 
Lady  Levasseur's  form  fell  into  the  dressing-room ! 
Reviving  from  her  first  swoon,  she  had  crawled  there  to 
listen,  and  thus  became  a  witness  to  all ! 


CHAPTEK    XIV. 


"•HMIRSS  "-:_ 

LADY  LEVASSEUB  was  a  silent  wit- 
ness to  the  most  painful  scene  that 
the  heart  of  a  fond  wife  ever  endured. 
She  saw  and  heard  all.  And  in  de- 
lirious agony,  she  fell  against  the 
door,  which  opened,  and  threw  her 
prostrate  upon  the  dressing-room 
floor !  The  Major  and  Madame  start- 
ed with  surprise,  and  Leonore  was 
roused  by  the  noise. 

"  Take  her  away !"  petulantly  mo- 
tioned the  infatuated  man  while  hug- 
ging Leonore  all  the  closer  to  his  bosom ! 

Madame  needed  110  further  prompting.  She  quickly 
dragged  the  insensible  form  of  Lady  Levasseur  back 
into  the  chamber,  and  slammed  to  the  door,  panting 
with  impatient  haste ! 

Leonore's  eyes  opened,  and  they  rested  upon  the  face 
of  HER  husband  !  Her  brain  was  dizzy  from  the  confu- 
sion of  the  swoon,  but  she  could  recognize  him  !  There 
was  a  vague  recollection  of  that  wife,  and  the  kisses  of 
greeting,  in  the  scene  of  the  chamber !  It  seemed  like  a 


198  THE    BETKAYE1>    WIFE. 

wild  dream!  But  her  husband  had  come  back  to  her, 
and  she  was  then  lying  in  his  arms  !  The  bliss  of  that 
moment  was  worth  years  of  woe!  She  had  no  eludings, 
nor  complaints  to  offer.  His  eyes  beamed  lovingly  upon 
her  own,  and  she  saw  in  them  what  made  him  appear  a 
perfect  god  !  Her  arms  were  around  his  neck,  and  their 
kisses  mingled  in  the  unison  of  mutually  intoxicating 
delight !  He  was  all  hers  !  But  what  a  shudder  came 
up  with  the  recollection  of  that  bed-chamber  scene! 
Oh,  what  did  all  that  mean?  She  tiled  to  ask,  but  his 
warm  lips  smothered  her  voice ! 

Madame  looked  on  in  the  attitude  of  a  strange  statue, 
her  eyes  gleaming  with  delight,  while  the  reconciliation 
of  those  two  hearts  was  breaking  another  heart  in  the 
next  room ! 

As  usual,  Florinda  was  hovering  near.  She  saw  the 
only  chance  for  herself  in  pretending  sympathy  with 
the  deserted  wife ;  and,  gently  placing  her  upon  a 
lounge,  she  soon  restored  consciousness  to  her  shat- 
tered mind. 

"  O,  let  me  die  ! !"  piteously  wept  the  agonized  wife. 
"  He  does  not  love  me  any  more  !  I  am  suffocating  ! 
My  heart  is  breaking !  Lost  forever !  Only  baby  is 
left !  All  else  has  gone  !" 

Lady  Levasseur  embraced  Leonore's  child  with  the 
belief  that  it  was  her  own,  while  her  husband  caressed 
its  mother  in  the  dressing-room  ! 

As  night  shrouds  the  entire  world  in  gloom  at  the 
close  of  day,  so  there  came  a  dark  cloud  of  mystery 
around  and  within  the  costly  mansion  of  the  Levasseurs. 

Autumn  passed  away,  and  the  winter  winds  blew 
sharp  and  cold.  The  ground  was  frozen,  thick  ice  cov- 
ered the  rivers,  and  one  night  a  great  snow  storm 
spread  its  burden  of  white  flakes  over  the  city.  Early 


THE   BEAUTIFUL    SNOW.  199 

the  next  morning,  thousands  of  ragged  boys  and  tat- 
tered men,  with  old  shovels  and  fragments  of  brooms, 
were  ringing  door-bells  and  begging  the  privilege  of 
removing  the  snow  from  the  stoops  and  sidewalks,  for  a 
few  shillings  in  money.  Snow  storms  in  a  great  city 
are  harvests  for  the  unemployed  poor  who  can  find 
utensils  and  are  willing  to  earn  the  reward  of  toil.  But 
alas,  for  any  poor  lost  canine  quadruped  who  has  no 
home:  his  diet  must  be  meager  until  the  snow  melts 
to  uncover  the  loose  offal  and  scattered  bones ! 
.  Up  and  down  the  aristocratic  avenue,  shovels  were 
clattering  until  noon.  The  sidewalks  and  the  stoops 
and  areas  were  brushed  off  clean.  All  except  one ! 

A  hundred  boys  and  men  had  been  tugging  at  the 
bell-knob  of  a  massive  rosewood  door ;  but  no  answer 
came  from  within.  The  shutters  were  closed,  and  one 
little  urchin  suggested  that  the  inmates  might  all  be 
dead  !  Then  a  policeman  tried  what  he  could  do.  He 
would  make  a  formal  complaint  at  head-quarters.  The 
law  required  that  residents  should  promptly  remove  the 
snow  from  the  front  of  their  premises  within  so  many 
hours  after  its  fall.  Who  could  he  have  fined  for  neg- 
lecting the  law?  A  silver  plate  upon  the  rosewood 
door  announced  the  name  of  "  Levasseur !"  The  police- 
man wrote  something  in  a  small  blank-book,  and  then 
walked  away. 

Days  and  weeks  and  months  went  into  the  past,  and 
still  the  rosewood  door  of  the  Levasseur  mansion  did 
not  open  from  without  nor  from  within.  Long  neglect 
permitted  an  accumulation  of  rubbish  around  the  colos- 
sal stone  steps,  and  cobwebs  were  stretched  across  the 
recesses  beyond  the  reach  of  the  wind  and  storm.  The 
silver  knobs  and  the  plate  with  the  master's  name  upon 
it,  grew  tarnished  and  red  and  some  naughty  boys  had 
9* 


200  THE    DESERTED 

been  disfiguring  the  walls  with  large  comic  figures  in 
chalk. 

The  people  went  up  and  down  every  day,  wrondering 
at  the  gloomy  walls  of  the  once  enlivened  mansion. 
And  well  they  might — for  a  deserted  house  standing  in 
silence  amid  the  animated  whirl  of  a  populous  city,  is 
a  suggestive  scene  to  contemplate ! 

The  neighbors  began  to  talk;  and  some  hinted  the 
necessity  of  an  investigation.  Where  could  the  Le- 
vasseurs  all  be?  No  furniture  was  ever  seen  to  go 
away. 

Mrs.  Coe  lived  with  her  husband,  one  Mr.  Coe,  in  the 
house  exactly  opposite,  at  the  rear.  The  domicile  of  the 
Goes  stood  facing  another  street ;  but  the  back  yards  of 
the  two  houses  were  adjoining.  Mrs.  Coe's  sister  was 
an  unhappy  old  maid.  Her  dormitory  looked  out  upon 
the  deserted,  or  rather,  as  she  said,  the  mysterious  dwell- 
ing. And,  in  the  singular  manner  of  many  other  old 
maids,  she  was  much  addicted  to  malicious  suspicion. 
She  seemed  to  suspect  all  things,  and  the  "  other  half" 
of  mankind  in  particular.  But  she  had  more  influence 
with  Mrs.  Coe  than  Mr.  Coe  would  ever  have.  Indeed, 
the  sisters  belonged  to  the  "  Woman's  Rights  Society," 
at  that  time  looming  up  in  the  already  tainted  atmos- 
phere of  connubial  disputants  and  dissenters  ! 

Mrs.  Coe  finally  agreed  with  her  venerable  maiden 
sister  that  something  fearful  must  have  happened  among 
the  Levasseurs.  If  the  \isual  appointment  of  Hibernian 
damsels  had  been  domesticated  in  the  Levasseur  family, 
perhaps  the  neighboring  Bridgets  and  Catharines  might 
have  learned  all  the  secrets  worth  knowing,  and  indus- 
triously reported  them  everywhere. 

"  Blast  them  niggers  !"  chafed  the  old  maid.  "  They 
are  the  closest-mouthed  fools  I  ever  saw  '  Harriet  Jane 


A    VERY   TIMID    MAN.  201 

tried  half  a  dozen  times  last  summer  to  find  out  what 
pursuit  the  gentleman  was  engaged  in,  but  they  snubbed 
her  off  by  saying,  '  Massa  tends  to  his  bis'ness  and  we 
tends  to  de  chores  'round  de  house !'  I  hate  niggers ! 
They're  so  stupid  and  non-communicative !" 

The  "  blasted  niggers,"  alluded  to  by  Mrs.  Coe's  ven- 
erable maiden  sister,  were  Sancho  and  Dinah — the  faith- 
ful and  the  only  servants  who  waited  upon  the  Levas- 
seurs. 

Mrs.  Coe's  curiosity  increased  with  her  sister's,  until 
she  insisted  that  her  husband  should  force  an  entrance 
through  the  back  way,  and  see  all  about  it.  Mr.  Coe 
was  a  very  timid  man,  and  he  could  not  undertake  such 
a  feat  Avithout  at  least  one  or  two  confederates  to  ac- 
company him.  So,  rather  than  forego  the  luxury  of 
appeasing  their  inquisitive  desire,  both  Mrs.  Coe  and 
her  sister  convoyed  the  trembling  husband  in  the  dark 
adventure.  The  hour  of  night  made  it  dark ;  and  that 
idea  greatly  horrified  Mr.  Coe. 

Wouldn't  Mrs.  Coe  be  merciful  and  relent  ?  No  ! 
When  her  mind  was  once  made  up,  she  never  swerved 
from  her  purpose.  She  was  ashamed  of  Mr.  Coe  for  his 
cowardice.  But  it  afforded  her  some  consolation  to 
believe  that  all  men  were  cowards,  and  that  they  never 
could  do  anything  brave  without  the  superior  nerve  of 
down-trodden  women  to  help  them  on  by  intellectual 
inspiration. 

They  reached  the  back  area  of  the  Levasseur  man- 
sion. The  fastening  of  the  kitchen  window  was  moved, 
and  they  told  Mr.  Coe  to  enter. 

Oh,  dear !  He  would  deem  it  an  especial  and  humane 
favor  from  Mrs.  Coe,  if  he  might  be  allowed  to  run 
away.  She  could  not  spare  him  just  then;  and  with 
the  assistance  of  her  sister  she  grasped  him,  by  the 


THE    MTSTERIOUS    CHAMBER,  203 

shoulder  and  the  most  convenient  part  of  his  trowsers, 
and  tumbled  him  in  ! 

Mr.  Coe  was  so  nervous  that  for  a  long  time  the 
matches  would  not  ignite  against  the  wall ;  and  when 
one  did  snap,  he  fizzled  it  out  trying  to  light  the 
candle. 

Mrs.  Coe  then  took  the  matches  herself,  and  spitefully 
shoved  him  across  the  floor,  where  he  tumbled  over  a 
chair  and  upset  a  table,  and  thereby  incurred  additional 
fright  from  the  terrible  noise.  Mrs.  Coe's  hands  were 
steady ;  and  she  soon  had  two  candles  blazing  to  show 
them  the  way. 

Mr.  Coe  fell  back  in  the  rear  of  the  reconnoitering 
advance,  momentarily  expecting  that  each  shadow 
would  prove  to  be  a  frightful  spectre.  Holding  the 
candles  high  above  their  heads,  Mrs.  Coe  and  her  sister 
began  to  explore  the  entire  house.  All  the  kitchen 
utensils  and  furniture  appeared  as  if  suddenly  left  while 
in  use.  In  the  drawing-room  above  a  chandelier  had 
fallen,  and  its  broken  fragments  were  strewn  over  the  soft 
velvet  carpet  upon  the  floor.  Then  they  went  up  stairs, 
and  from  one  room  to  another,  without  seeing  a  dry 
skeleton  or  meeting  a  white  apparition. 

Hah !  The  door  of  Lady  Levasseur's  chamber  w;is 
securely  locked  within.  But  the  Major's  sleeping  apart- 
ment was  more  accessible  than  that  of  his  wife.  Noth- 
ing short  of  assistance  from  a  locksmith  could  make  an 
entrance  through  the  fastened  door !  So  they  inspected 
all  the  other  rooms  and  recesses,  from  the  cellar  to  the 
garret,  and  found  every  article  remaining  as  if  it  had 
been  left  but  yesterday.  Dust  covered  the  furniture, 
and  dampness  had  soiled  the  beautiful  papering  upon 
the  walls. 

Their  verdict  was,  unanimously, "  Something  wrong  !" 


204 


BELLS   TOLLING    FIRE. 


And  they  retired  with  a  fixed  determination  that  Mr. 
Coe  should  go  to  the  police  office  early  in  the  morning 
and  have  the  chamber  explored  by  virtue  of  the  law. 

Fire!  fire!  The  old  Coes  and  the  little  Coes,  and 
nearly  all  the  inhabitants  in  that  quarter  of  the  city, 
were  roused  from  sleep  at  the  quietest  hour  of  night  by 
the  ringing  of  bells  and  a  tumult  of  rumbling  wheels 
and  tramping  feet.  The  entire  neighborhood  was  in 
a  complete  uproar.  Fire!  fii'e!  tolled  the  bells;  and 
red-shirted  men,  dragging  engines  and  hose,  bellowed 
loudly  through  brazen  trumpets  as  they  ran ! 

"  Where  is  the  fire  ?"  Mrs.  Coe  asked  Mr.  Coe  the 
same  question  no  less  than  three  or  four  times  in  quick 
succession. 

"  I  declare  I  don't  know,  my  dear.  It  is  undoubtedly 
somewhere  this  side  of  the  Battery !"  was  his  mild  and 
innocent  reply. 

"  Levasseur's !"  screamed  Mrs.  Coe's  maiden  sister. 
"  Over  there.  The  house  is  burning  down,  and  we  shall 
never  know  what  a  shocking  tragedy  has  been  perpe- 
trated in  that  room !" 

It  was  the  first  and  the  only  conflagration  which  to 
my  knowledge  ever  occurred  in  that  aristocratic  quarter 
of  the  city.  The  match  of  a  wicked  incendiary  must 
have  ignited  the  element  of  ruin.  Who  could  solve  the 
mystery  ? 

In  the  morning  naught  but  charred  and  smoldering 
debris  remained  to  mark  the  spot  where  the  Levasseur 
mansion  stood  so  proudly,  and  yet  so  drearily,  the  day 
before. 

The  neighbors  each  gave  an  opinion;  but  none  of 
them  could  determine,  beyond  the  merest  conjecture, 
why  and  wherefore  such  an  event  should  happen.  And 
if  any  mystery  was  purposely  locked  within  Lady 


THE   DETECTIVE.  205 

Levasseur's  luxurious  chamber,  it  would  never  be  re- 
vealed. 

But  a  police  detective — one  of  those  Mc.Tudases  who 
are  so  numerous  at  the  present  time — was  then  intro- 
ducing his  iniquitous  system  of  fraud  for  the  ostensi- 
ble purpose  of  discovering  and  eradicating  (?)  crime. 
McJudas  put  two  of  his  minions,  or  more  properly  imps, 
upon  the  supposed  trail  of  an  absconding  perpetrator  of 
imaginary  sins.  He  was  desirous  of  finding  Levasseur. 
But  that  seemed  to  be  a  much  more  difficult  enterprise 
than  was  anticipated  when  he  began.  An  entire  year 
passed,  and  not  even  the  astute  old  thief  could  unravel 
the  mystery  of  that  gentleman's  departure,  nor  gain  the 
remotest  clue  to  his  ultimate  destination. 

Meanwhile,  the  people  gazed  at  the  pile  of  smutty 
bricks,  and  the  fragments  of  stone  among  the  ashes 
where  the  walls  formerly  stood  so  high.  They  gazed 
awhile,  and  wondered  too.  Only  a  short  time,  though 
— for  it  is  said  that  after  the  expiration  of  "  nine  days," 
the  greatest  sight  or  wonder  ever  known  in  New  York 
ceases  to  attract  public  attention.  I  have  frequently 
thought  there  was  some  truth  in  that  saying. 

The  lapse  of  two  winters  and  one  summer  turned  the 
ruins  of  the  Levasseur  mansion  old  and  brown.  The 
second  May  came,  and  then  the  second  June — and,  in- 
deed, the  second  summer.  And  blades  of  grass,  with 
tall  weeds,  were  growing  out  from  among  the  uncon- 
sumed  ends  of  timber,  the  broken  bricks,  and  the  shat- 
tered blocks  of  chiseled  stone.  Yet  none  could  tell  why 
Levasseur  did  not  return ! 


The  simple  Method  of  Crossing  Ruin 


CHAPTEE    XV. 


SATAN  was  hungry  one  day! 
And  panting  for  a  feast  of  souls, 
he  breathed  a  whisper  in  men's 
ears  that  made  them  strangely 
mad !  At  first  they  softly  re- 
peated what  he  said,  but  their 
voices  were  louder  anon  !  And 
then  a  cry  of  frenzy  rent  the 
peaceful  air !  Defiant  shouts 
merged  into  ominous  howls  that 
grew  wilder  and  fiercer  as  time 

quickly  sped,  until  the  roar  of  Secession  terrified  the 

world ! 

The  "Stars  and  Stripes"  were  torn  down,  and  a  dis- 
mal emblem  of  the  Palmetto-tree  was  hoisted  in  their 

stead ! 

One  morning  the  sun  rose  with  bright,  radiant  smiles, 

and  sank  to  rest  in  the  evening  all  red  and  bleared  at 

the  sight  of  human  blood ! 

Millions  of  heai'ts  were  throbbing  with  rage  or  fright 

that  night !     The  bright  blaze  of  Jupiter  was  dimmed 


208  "THE  EVIL  EYE." 

by  the  ruddy  glare  of  Mars !  Languishing  Juno  was 
bathed  in  tears ;  and  the  frowns  of  Jehovah  darkened 
the  sky,  while  the  devil  laughed  in  exulting  joy ! 

With  the  return  of  to-morrow's  dawn,  the  shrill  notes 
of  the  fife,  followed  by  the  rattling  and  the  measured 
beating  of  drums,  sent  a  thrill  into  the  sanctuary  of 
every  American  home,  while  long  files  of  martialed  men 
were  hurrying  from  the  North  and  hurrying  from  the 
South,  to  clash  in  the  deadly  strife  of  internecine  war ! 

Consanguineous   ties   and   bonds  of  love  were  rent 

O 

asunder.  And  there  was  a  great  wailing  cry  of  anguish 
in  daylight,  with  sobbing  prayers  at  night,  by  fond 
ones  for  the  safety  of  those  dearest  to  their  hearts. 
Mothers  and  wives,  fathers  and  husbands,  brothers,  sis- 
ters, one  and  all,  choked  and  paled  at  the  demon  of  war ! 

Within  the  lines,  and  beyond  the  lines  that  separated 
kindred  and  friends,  pent-up  souls  were  shrieking  and 
wailing  in  despair!  Going  North  and  going  South! 
O !  anywhere  to  find  the  heart's  love,  with  peace  in  a 
quiet  home ! 

The  booming  of  cannon  gradually  approached  New 
Orleans,  and  passes  signed  by  the  chieftain  in  command, 
sent  many  citizens  safely  beyond  the  reach  of  harm. 

And  cruel  mortals,  in  the  garb  of  men  and  in  feminine 
guise,  were  lurking  everywhere,  while  "female  spies" 
haunted  firesides  and  public  places  alike.  It  was  a 
grand  carnival  time  for  the  heartless,  the  abandoned 
and  the  vile,  when  both  the  North  and  the  South  stooped 
to  the  siren's  guile,  and  she  of  "  the  evil  eye "  was 
freely  tolerated  in  almost  every  camp  to  ply  her  arts 
and  betray  the  lives  of  men.  But  I  presume  that  no  one 
will  ever  write  a  true  history  of  the  wanton  spy  service 
during  the  Southern  war ! 

Those  without  influence  to  use  might  try  the  potency 


POTENCY    OF   GOLD.  209 

of  gold.  Many  did  so  in  New  Orleans.  And  verily  the 
people  of  that  city  were  doomed  to  remorseless  plunder. 
First  the  rebels  had  their  fill,  and  then  the  sequel  was 
to  come ! 

One  thousand  dollars — nay,  ten  thousand,  all  in  coin — 
procured  the  simple  order  for  a  lady,  her  adopted  child, 
and  her  two  slaves  to  be  passed  beyond  the  rebel  lines. 

Whither  would  she  go  ?  Other  ladies  had  been  snugly 
domiciled  in  quiet  Northern  abodes,  entirely  beyond  the 
dangers  of  the  war,  while  their  masculine  connections 
remained  at  will  or  were  forcibly  held  to  do  the  fight- 
ing ;  and  ten  thousand  dollars  paid  into  the  pocket  of 
one  who  wished  to  lay  up  a  little  something  for  future 
need,  gave  her  an  opportunity  to  depart.  The  sum  was 
a  large  one  to  pay ;  but  it  included  the  price  of  her 
slaves,  whom  she  would  not  leave  behind ! 

Then  there  was  an  intervening  space  of  dark  water 
and  uncertain  law.  Up  the  river,  passing  grim  bat- 
teries along  the  shore  to  where  the  "  Stars  and  Stripes  " 
proclaimed  the  bondman  free  !  Out  of  rebeldom,  and, 
with  a  little  white  flag,  into  the  Union  lines  ! 

Again,  what  was  to  pay?  Echo  repeated — "  to  pay?" 
And  then  a  joyful  reverberation  came  in  response : 

"The  widow,  the  orphan  and  the  slave,  without 
money  and  without  price,  can  find  a  refuge  here !" 

And  the  lady,  with  her  adopted  child  and  her  manu- 
mitted slaves,  sailed  on  up  the  Father  of  Rivers.  But 
they  were  not  happy.  Something  made  them  sad ! 

On  up  the  river,  from  one  steamer  to  another — and 
yet  they  continued  on  ! 

The  state-rooms  all  along  each  side  of  the  main  saloon 
were  designated  with  gilt  numerals  on  knobs  of  porce- 
lain, while  in  the  ladies'  cabin  alphabetical  letters  were 
used  upon  the  doors. 


210  "HEAR  THAT  COUGH!" 

The  cough  of  a  <lying  consumptive  grated  upon  the 
cars  of  Mercy,  Eliza,  Julia  and  Jane — four  jubilant 
young  ladies  who  were  chattering  together  in  the  full 
vigor  of  life  and  hope.  But  they  all  paused  in  awe 
when  they  heard  that  ominous  cough.  In  silence  they 
listened.  First  it  was  violent  and  distressing,  and  then 
it  continued  languidly  and  dull.  It  told  how  rapidly  a 
victim  was  going  to  the  grave ! 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?"  inquired  Jane,  pointing  at 
letter  c. 

"  Oh,  she's  some  rebel's  wife  going  to  Minnesota !" 
replied  Eliza.  "  You  know  father  says  that  the  atmos- 
phere up  there  will  cure  the  consumption.  But  she'll 
not  live  till  she  reaches  Winona.  She  coughs  precisely 
like  poor  dear  mother  used  to,  awhile  before  she  died ! 
Just  listen  at  her  now !" 

A  hard-visaged  man,  with  a  singularly  large  round 
head  and  a  thick  short  beard,  sat  near  the  young  ladies. 
He  was  reading  a  book ;  but  he  heard  the  consumptive's 
cough.  And  whenever  the  paroxysms  were  most  se- 
vere, then  his  features  lighted  up  with  a  peculiar  smile ! 

"  Do  you  know  that  I  almost  hate  that  leaden-eyed 
man  ?"  observed  Mercy,  shuddering  as  she  spoke. 
"There  is  something  so  wicked  and  silently  malicious — 
I  don't  know  what  to  call  it — in  the  sinister  expression 
of  his  repulsive  face !  His  strange  glances  are  perfectly 
chilling  to  me !" 

"Hush!"  whispered  Julia,  slightly  shocked.  "That 
is  Doctor  Passion,  whose  wonderful  cures  have  been 
advertised  so  much  in  the  Western  papers.  All  great 
men  have  remarkable  peculiainties  about  them.  Look 
at  his  head !  There's  a  model  for  the  phrenological 
disciples  of  Gall  and  Spurzheim.  And  his  features 
might  have  been  a  perfect  study  for  Lavater,  the  origi- 


THE    GREAT   DR.  PASSION.  211 

nator  of  the  science  of  physiognomy.  And  then  he  it? 
very  rich  !  I  overheard  a  conversation  about  him  this 
morning  between  father  and  a  strange  gentleman,  who 
I  believe  is  a  particular  friend  of  his.  The  stranger 
said  the  Doctor  had  amassed  a  very  large  fortune.  And 
he  rather  hinted  that  he  might  soon  be  a  widower.  His 
wife  has  been  an  invalid  a  long  time.  What  a  splendid 
prize  he  will  be  for  some  one,  when  his  wife  dies !" 

"  O,  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  talk  in  that  way !" 
remonstrated  Mercy.  "  I'm  sure  he's  a  bad  man ;  and 
with  all  deference  to  your  respect  for  the  opinions  of 
Gall,  or  Spurzheim,  or  Lavater,  as  you  call  them,  I 
shall  persist  in  comparing  both  his  head  and  his  face  to 
the  worst  brute  that  I  can  think  of.  Do  you  perceive 
that  fiendish  grin  while  the  poor  lady  is  coughing  her- 
self to  death!" 

Mercy  told  the  truth  when  she  said  that  the  lady  in 
the  state-room  was  dying.  With  pale  face  and  attenu- 
ated form,  and  scarcely  conscious,  she  lay  there  upon 
the  bed !  One  of  her  faithful  slaves,  in  sorrow  stood 
near.  Her  other  slave  was  waiting  sadly  without. 
And  a  beautiful  rosy-cheeked  girl  of  fourteen,  with  long 
flaxen  hair  in  great  wavy,  curling  tresses,  sat  by  the 
bed  in  silence  and  tears  ! 

Dr.  Passion  beckoned  to  the  slave  waiting  without. 
A  venerable  negro,  with  his  wool  whitened  by  a  long 
lapse  of  years,  approached  respectfully  and  tried  to 
smile.  Poor  old  man  !  His  features  bore  a  woful  con- 
traction of  anxiety  and  grief! 

"  You  serve  the  sick  lady,  I  believe,"  said  Dr.  Pas- 
sion, holding  out  a  piece  of  money  in  one  hand  and  with 
the  other  motioning  toward  the  letter  c. 

"  Yes,  massa,  an  I  spects  to  sarve  her's  long  as  de 
Almi'te  Creatur  spars  her  life  an  mine !  But  I  doesn't 


212  ANOTHER   VICTIM. 

want  no  mun'y.  I'es  wery  much  blec-g'd,  sah !  But 
missus's  got  plenty  fur  us  all !" 

Dr.  Passion  returned  the  money  to  his  own  pocket, 
and  said,  "  Hah !  From  the  South,  I  presume  ?  Very 
wealthy.  And  yet  she  will  persist  in  dying,  when  by 
proper  treatment  a  cure  would  be  certain.  Now,  if  you 
really  wish  to  save  your  mistress  from  speedy  death, 
give  her  my  card,  and  say  that  I  am  willing  to  attend 
her.  Here  it  is.  I  am  a  distinguished  physician ! 
Doubtless  she  has  heard  of  me  often  before.  I  have  a 
wonderful  reputation  from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Paul. 
With  pride  I  can  say  that  my  name  is  familiar  to  the 
people  in  every  town  of  any  importance  the  whole 
length  of  the  river." 

"  Tanke,  sah !"  bowed  the  slave.  "  Missus  '11  be  very 
glad !  An'  we  poor  sarvents  '11  pray  fur  you  eb'ry  time 
we  lies  down  at  night — ef  you  can  only  brake  up  dat 
orf'l  kumsumshin!"  And  then  he  softly  tapped  at 
letter  c. 

The  card  was  a  tempting  bait !  How  many  dying 
men  and  women  had  nibbled  at  it  before  ?  The  lady 
would  see  Dr.  Passion.  Perhaps  he  had  been  sent  to 
her  at  the  eleventh  hour,  by  Divine  interposition,  to 
save  her  life  a  little  longer  for  the  sake  of  the  fair-haired 
girl  sitting  beside  her  in  tears !  Her  trust  was  in 
Providence,  and  she  was  willing  to  go  when  He  called. 
But  the  thought  of  leaving  that  tender  flower  in  the 
heartless  and  deceitful  world,  without  maternal  solici- 
tude or  care,  made  her  loth  to  die  ! 

Dr.  Passion  entered  with  noiseless  step.  He  gently, 
kindly,  tenderly  took  her  thin,  white  wrist  between  his 
thumb  and  fingers,  with  an  encouraging,  compassionate 
smile,  and  a  courteous  bow. 

"  Oh,  Doctor !"  she  coughed,  and  eagerly  searched  his 


RECEIVING  A  FEE!  213 

face.  "  Must  I  die  ?  Do  you  really  think  there  is  no 
hope  for  me  ?  They  have  all  given  me  up.  But  I  have 
heard  a  great  deal  about  the  air  of  Minnesota,  and 
thought  I  would  try  and  get  up  there  if  possible. 
Would  you  recommend  that  climate  for  one  in  my  con- 
dition ?  Ah — pardon  me !  I  had  almost  forgotten  that 
we  are  strangers.  I  should,  therefore,  advance  you  a 
fee.  You  do  think  there  is  some  hope — eh,  Doctor  ?" 

"  Yes — that  is — ahem  !  The  air  of  Minnesota  is 
good.  But  proper  medical  treatment — such  as  I  have 
acquired  a  world-wide  reputation  for — is  the  only  thing 
that  can  save  your  life.  You  are  dangerously  ill, 
madam.  I  am  not  one  of  that  unprincipled  class  who 
delude  their  dying  patients  with  the  false  assurance  that 
they  are  in  a  fair  way  to  recover,  when  the  last  breath 
is  actually  leaving  their  bodies !  Nor  am  I  actuated 
wholly  by  a  pecuniary  motive.  As  a  devout  Chris- 
tian, I  never  forget  my  obligations  to  God  while  serving 
the  sick.  But  take  courage,  my  dear  madam.  Permit 
me  to  drop  this  small  powder  upon  your  tongue. 
There !  Now  your  cough  will  soon  be  easier.  The  poor 
have  my  attendance  free  of  charge.  The  affluent  may 
exercise  their  own  generosity.  I  name  no  particular 
sum  as  a  fee.  I  am  more  anxious  to  alleviate  suffering 
than  to  accumulate  money.  Ah !  You  feel  easier 
already.  I  can  easily  perceive  that !" 

The  invalid  motioned  for  Sancho  to  approach.  That 
venerable  slave  was  her  secretary  and  cashier.  lie 
drew  a  huge,  well-filled  wallet  out  of  his  trowscrs' 
pocket,  and  she  took  therefrom  two  bank-bills  for  Dr. 
Passion,  into  whose  eyes  there  came  an  eager  gleam  at 
sight  of  so  much  money.  But  his  tongue  then  quickly 
articulated  what  his  heart  did  not  feel.  And,  while  pre- 
tending to  decline  the  generous  fee,  his  fingers  almost 


214  THE    JERSEY   FARMER. 

perforated  the  bank  bills  when  they  were  secure  in  his 
hand! 

And  while  Dr.  Passion  was  in  state-room  c  success- 
fully deluding  his  victim,  another  individual  appeared  in 
the  ladies'  cabin.  A  plainly-clad,  substantial  and  fine- 
looking  man  of  forty  years,  whose  good-natured  coun- 
tenance beamed  with  an  expression  of  frankness  and 
honesty  that  is  not  met  with  every  day.  And  at  his 
heels  came  a  monstrous  great  dog,  with  lolling  tongue 
and  wagging  tail.  His  canine  majesty  recognized  the 
four  young  ladies,  and  they  saluted  him  in  a  familiar 
way.  They  each  had  a  pat  for  his  huge,  glossy  head, 
\vhile  his  large  hazel  eyes  glistened  with  intense  delight 
in  response. 

The  four  young  ladies  called  the  dog  "  Goliah,"  and 
when  addressing  his  master  they  said,  "  Father !" 

Samuel  Denton,  a  widower,  with  his  four  pretty 
daughters  and  his  valuable  St.  Bernard  dog,  were  going 
to  a  new  home  in  the  North-west.  Hitherto  he  had 
spent  his  life  as  a  farmer  in  a  very  prosperous  section  of 
country  in  the  East,  where  he  was  respected  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends.  In  a  financial  position  he  was  com- 
fortable, but  not  rich.  The  death  of  his  wife,  whom  he 
dearly  loved,  left  him  full  of  discontent.  She  was  buried 
in  the  Quaker  Cemetery  at  Westfield,  New  Jersey,  where 
a  small  head-stone  with  the  simple  name  of  "Eliza" 
still  designates  her  grave ! 

Farmer  Denton  was  immigrating  to  Minnesota  with 
the  hope  that  entirely  new  associations  might  wean  him 
from  his  grief. 

"  Where's  the  Doctor  ?"  he  inquired.  "  I  did  not  see 
him  go  ashore  at  the  landing  where  we  stopped  half  an 
hour  ago.  But,  girls,  I  am  glad  that  none  of  you  noticed 
him  while  he  hung  around  here  trying  to  attract  your 


A  BOG'S  OPINION.  215 

attention.  Look  out  for  those  fellows.  I've  no  opinion 
of  them,  anyhow.  I  mean  those  rascals  who  travel 
about  and  advertise  impossible  miracles  to  humbug  the 
ignorant  and  credulous,  with  all  sorts  of  testimonials 
purporting  to  emanate  from  authentic  sources.  And 
I'm  convinced  that  this  fellow  is  in  league  with  another 
man  on  the  boat.  They  tried  a  game  that  didn't  work 
this  morning.  The  man  introduced  him  to  me,  at  his 
own  request  I'm  certain,  so  that  I  might  introduce  him 
to  you.  Ha,  ha !  What  rogues  there  are  in  this  world, 
when  we  come  to  find  them  out !  But  the  Denton  girls 
will  not  spend  their  time  entertaining  Dr.  Passion. 
He's  terribly  afraid  of  Goliah.  Ha,  ha !  And  I  fancy 
the  dog  has  been  looking  after  him  rather  sharply. 
What  wonderful  judges  of  character  these  dogs  are ! 
Now,  in  some  cases,  I'd  trust  Goliah's  opinion  quicker 
than  my  own.  There  is  a  mutual  antipathy  between 
Goliah  and  Dr.  Passion  ?  But  where  did  the  scamp 
go?" 

"  He  is  in  state-room  c,"  replied  Mercy.  "  He  sent 
his  card  to  the  sick  lady,  by  her  colored  man." 

"  And  she  received  him  ?  So,  so  !  He  will  dupe  her 
out  of  her  money,  and  doubtless  terminate  her  existence 
before  she  has  a  fair  chance  to  test  the  benefit  of  North- 
western atmosphere.  Ah,  if  your  dear  mother  had  been 
taken  to  Minnesota,  possibly  she  would  be  living  now. 
But  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  look  after  this  lady.  I  pre- 
sume that  she  is  one  of  those  easy-going,  helpless 
Southern  women,  who  seldom  take  the  trouble  to  seri- 
ously think,  and  always  have  a  pack  of  lazy  niggers  to 
wait  upon  them.  Just  the  kind  of  people  for  Dr.  Pas- 
sion to  bamboozle.  They  have  no  proper  idea  of  money, 
and  never  count  the  cost  of  anything  until  reduced  to 
starvation.  I  wouldn't  give  the  plain  common-sense 


THE  PEDANTIC  PRONOUN.  217 

experience  of  either  one  of  yon  girls,  for  all  the  accom- 
plishments possessed  by  a  hundred  of  these  fine  ladies 
we  see  with  their  servants  tagging  after  them  wherever 
they  go.  But  this  poor  lady  claims  our  compassion. 
She  has  my  sympathy — there's  no  mistake  about  that. 
And  Goliah  and  I  will  make  it  a  point  to  befriend  her 
if  we  can.  Eh,  old  boy?" 

Goliah  distinctly  understood  the  words  of  his  mas- 
ter, and  gave  a  sharp  glance  toward  letter  c,  with  an 
uneasy  wriggling  motion  of  his  body,  and  a  mute  but 
meaning  inquiry  up  into  Farmer  Denton's  face. 

While  going  about  the  world,  intent  upon  business 
or  in  quest  of  pleasure,  and  necessarily  keeping  an  eye 
open  for  rogues,  with  a  perpetual  suspicion  of  those 
who  jostle  us  severely  in  the  great  crowd,  after  mechan- 
ically perusing  the  stereotyped  cards  that  advise  us  to 
"  Beware  of  Pickpockets,"  we  are  sometimes  bitterly 
prejudiced  against  individuals  at  first  sight.  And  in 
this  brief  homily,  perhaps,  the  reader  will  observe  an 
entire  omission  of  that  seemingly  pedantic  pronoun  of 
the  "first  person  and  singular  number,"  so  repeatedly 
occurring  in  almost  every  other  page  of  the  volume. 
An  allusion  to  which  predominant  feature  may  recon- 
cile those  who  dislike  its  frequent  repetition.  In  a 
work  of  this  kind  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  writer 
to  succinctly  accomplish  the  task  without  incurring  the 
sarcasm  of  prudish  critiques,  who  realize  the  most  in- 
tense enjoyment  from  a  sneering  accusation  of  egotism  ! 
But  their  sneers  will  not  intimidate  the  perpetrator  of 
the  afore-mentioned  pronoun,  who  forthwith  recurs  to 
'the  repulsion  experienced  in  our  kaleidoscopic  detour  of 
life,  which  must  account  for  the  intuitive  repugnance  of 
Farmer  Denton  and  his  daughter  Mercy  when  they  con- 
templated the  visage  of  the  great  Dr.  Passion.  And 
10 


218  A   LITTLE    EPISODE. 

Goliah's  sensibilities  were  no  less  acute  in  the  same 
direction.  Most  assuredly  they  and  the  Doctor  were 
entirely  opposite  in  the  attributes  of  sincerity  and  truth. 
For  while  the  designing  charlatan  told  the  coughing 
invalid  that  he  did  not  belong  to  the  unprincipled  class 
who  delude  their  dying  patients  with  false  assurances 
of  recovery,  a  poor  old  woman  sat  in  the  saloon,  then 
and  there  depressed  by  a  reminiscence  of  an  event 
which  occurred  nearly  six  months  before.  The  scarlet 
fever  had  deprived  her  sou  of  his  hearing.  And  Avith  a 
belief  in  miracles,  which  t  lie  great  Dr.  Passion  was  said 
to  perform,  she  took  her  son  to  the  hotel  where  that 
distinguished  personage  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  in 
grand  style.  But,  as  many  other  patients  were  already 
waiting  there,  some  time  elapsed  before  she  and  her  son 
could  approach  him.  And  then  he  smiled  and  ran  his 
fat  hand  through  the  greasy  black  hair  upon  his  head 
while  propounding  the  usual  query  of — "Well,  what 
troubles  you  ?"  That  was  his  habitual  expression  when 
a  new  victim  entered  his  den. 

"  My  poor  son  is  deaf.  Heaven  will  reward  you  for 
curing  him,  I'm  sure !" 

"  Hum !"  drawled  the  Doctor,  with  a  derisive  smile. 
Then  he  soberly  added:  "My  fee  is  one  hundred  dollars. 
It  will  cost  you  that  sum  to  restore  the  hearing  of  your 
son !" 

"  I  havn't  that  much  in  the  world !"  sighed  the  aged 
mother. 

"  What  amount  can  you  raise  ?"  the  Doctor  wished 
to  know. 

"  Thirty  dollars !  The  saving  of  a  whole  year  over 
and  above  the  cost  of  providing  for  six  children — a 
penny  and  a  half-dime  only  at  a  time !" 

"  Will  no  one  loan  you  any  more  ?" 


A  STRANGE   SUSPICION.  219 

She  shook  her  head  and  murmured,  "  I've  no  friends 
with  money  to  spare !" 

"  Then  give  me  the  thirty  dollars  cash  down,  and  I'll 
see  what  I  can  do !"  And  he  held  out  his  fat  hand. 

Dr.  Passion  took  the  poor  old  woman's  money  and 
gave  her  only  a  small  vial  of  cistern-water,  colored 
brown.  And  her  boy's  ears  were  still  bereft  of  hearing 
when  she  sat  in  the  saloon  on  board  the  steamer  and 
saw  him  enter  the  state-room  where  the  dying  consump- 
tive lay.  She  wanted  to  chide  him  for  taking  her 
money  and  not  curing  her  son;  but  his  cold,  leaden 
eyes  made  her  shiver  when  she  would  speak.  And  so 
she  sat  there  and  cried  while  no  one  seemed  to  care 
what  her  sorrows  were.  At  the  next  landing  she  went 
ashore,  perhaps  to  mourn  over  the  affliction  of  her  poor 
boy,  while  the  great  man  lingered  with  the  lady  who 
was  coughing  her  life  away. 

But  Farmer  Denton  became  more  and  more  convinced 
that  he  had  seen  Dr.  Passion  somewhere  before.  It  did 
not  strike  him  so  at  first ;  but  an  almost  forgotten  vis- 
age gradually  shaped  itself  into  a  resemblance  of  the 
great  man's  face. 

"  Let  me  think !"  said  he  to  his  daughters.  "  What 
criminals  have  I  any  personal  recollection  of?  There's 
Clough,  the  murderer,  who  killed  his  sweetheart  because 
she  refused  to  marry  him.  But  he  was  hanged  for  the 
crime.  That  must  have  been  when  I  was  a  little  shaver ; 
for  I  can  just  remember  running  off  from  school  with  a 
larger  boy  who  had  a  conveyance  to  go  and  see  the  cul- 
prit die.  The  gallows  was  erected  in  the  centre  of  a 
natural  sand-basin  or  circular  hollow,  a  mile  or  so  from 
the  town  of  Mount  Holly,  so  that  everybody  could  have 
a  full  view  of  the  execution.  Poor  man !  They  brought 
him  down  to  the  place  riding  backward  in  a  common 


220  THE   ESCAPED   CONVICT. 

cart.  And  as  he  passed  close  by  me  I  could  perceive 
how  pale  he  was.  I  shall  never  forget  the  applauding 
shout  of  the  multitude  when  his  writhing  form  dangled 
up  in  the  air,  nor  the  walloping  I  got  from  father  when 
I  returned  home.  Then  there  was  a  Mexican  named 
Mini.  He  killed  somebody,  too,  and  they  sentenced 
him  to  death.  But  he  broke  jail  and  fled.  They  made 
a  great  time  searching  for  him ;  but  he  was  not  found. 
I  declare,  now  that  I  study  upon  it,  there  is  a  marvelous 
likeness  between  Dr.  Passion'and  Mini.  Good  gracious, 
girls !  I  am  quite  certain  that  Mini  and  he  are  one !  If 
you  look  closely  at  him,  a  small  cross,  like  a  scar,  is  vis- 
ible on  his  forehead,  almost  directly  between  his  eyes. 
It  is  a  peculiar  mark !  And  just  such  a  one  was  on 
Mini's  forehead  when  I  saw  him  in  the  Doylestown 
prison  thirty  years  ago !  Depend  upon  it,  there  is  vil- 
lain stamped  in  his  heart  as  well  as  imprinted  on  his 
face.  And  if  I'm  spared  to  live  long  enough,  I'll  take 
every  pains  to  ascertain  his  origin.  He's  not  an  Ameri- 
can ;  that's  evident  in  certain  physical  peculiarities,  not 
visible  to  a  casual  observer.  I  know  he  speaks  our  lan- 
guage fluently  enough.  His  accent  is  rather  niggerish ; 
but  that  comes  from  association — just  as  I  explained 
with  reference  to  the  force  of  example !  I  tell  you 
again,  girls,  there's  some  connection  between  that  rascal 
and  the  escaped  convict  Mini !" 

During  all  that  time  the  great  Doctor  was  closeted 
with  the  invalid  in  state-room  c.  And  to  think  that  he 
should  seem  reluctant  to  take  her  money  after  defraud- 
ing so  many  poor  people  everywhere. 

But  he  tucked  the  bank-bills  into  his  vest-pocket 
with  the  air  of  one  who  really  condescended  to  accept 
them,  and  then  cautiously  began  to  propound  little 
questions  in  no  way  pertaining  to  the  invalid's  health. 


A    CHRISTIAN    QUACK.  221 

He  presumed  that  she  was  a  member  of  some  Christian 
church,  and  had  already  made  her  peace  with  God. 

"  I  am  a  Methodist,"  said  he,  with  tone  and  accent 
unplausibly  indicative  of  sincerity  in  his  pretension. 
"You  are—  ?" 

She  interrupted  him  by  expressing  a  hope  that  she 
might  find  salvation  without  any  violent  sectarian  ad- 
hesion. She  had  ever  been  mindful  of  the  future,  and, 
though  always  attending  some  church,  she  claimed 
membership  in  none ! 

Dr.  Passion  slightly  changed  the  ciirrent  of  his  inter- 
rogations. Might  he  know  to  whom  he  had  the  honor 

O  O 

of  being  medical  adviser?  The  wife  of  some  distin- 
guished statesman,  no  doubt. 

Whether  a  wife  or  a  widow,  she  simply  said  that  her 
name  was  Levasseurf 

She  told  him  no  more.  But  she  really  was  once 
the  happy  wife  of  Major  Levasseur. 

And  what  of  her  husband,  and  Madame  Zorah,  and 
Leonore  ?  Could  she  answer  all  those  questions  ?  No ! 
She  could  not  answer  one  of  them. 

Poor  lady!  How  weary  of  life  she  seemed  to  be! 
And  how  soon  she  must  die !  But  she  thought  it  was 
hard  to  go  and  leave  her  darling  adopted  child. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


WHEN  Lady  Levasseur  awoke 
the  next  morning  after  that  ter- 
rible discovery  of  her  husband's 
infatuation  with  Leonore,  she 
found  herself  alone  with  Florin- 
da,  Sancho  and  Dinah.  But 
Florinda  was  little  better  than 
nobody.  For  after  the  heart- 
rending scenes  of  the  chamber, 
she  went  about  as  if  dreaming. 

Sometime  during  the  night,  a 

carriage  came  for  the  Major,  and  Madame,  and  Leonore. 
They  were  going  away.  A  steamer  sailed  for  Europe 
the  next  day  at  noon,  and  they  hurried  on  board  to 
cross  the  sea ! 

Madame  Zorah  carried  a  bundle  in  her  arms.  It  was 
Leonore's  child  that  had  been  taken  from  the  bosom  of 
Lady  Levasseur  while  she  soundly  slept  under  the  influ- 
ence of  chloroform !  Levasseur  did  not  intend  to  rob 
his  wife  even  of  her  child.  But  a  sleeping  potion  kept 
the  babe  quiet  until  the  ship  was  out  of  the  harbor. 


224  UNPKECEDENTED   WKONG. 

And  the  father's  lip  paled  and  quivered  when  he 
beheld  what  had  been  done,  and  calmly  reflected  upon 
the  unprecedented  wrong.  The  child  was  his,  but  he 
was  not  its  mother ;  and  he  declared  that  it  was  worse 
than  cruel  to  tear  it  from  her  when  nothing  else  would 
be  left  for  her  to  love !  The  outrage  was  too  bad  for 
contemplation. 

Oh,  why  did  they  rob  the  poor  mother  ?  Was  it  not 
enough  to  take  the  husband,  and  leave  the  babe  in  its 
mother's  arms  for  the  comfort  and  consolation  of  her 
frantic  heart?  Thus  he  queried  while  Madame  ex- 
plained that  Leonore  had  been  sustaining  it  with  her 
own  life,  and  that  Lady  Levasseur  was  unable  to  supply 
the  nourishment  required  of  a  mother.  Nevertheless,  he 
did  not  consider  that  a  sufficient  excuse  for  taking  the 
child  away.  And  they  were  careful  to  keep  their  fatal 
secret  from  him. 

Finding  herself  so  utterly  deserted  and  forsaken, 
Lady  Levasseur  became  wild  with  grief.  But  after  a 
few  days  she  settled  down  into  quiet  lunacy,  and  obedi- 
ently did  whatever  "  Mamma"  and  "  Uncle "  told  her  to. 
Dinah,  her  old  nurse  in  her  baby  days,  and  her  constant 
companion  in  youth,  had  ever  been  a  mother  to  her; 
and,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  she  grew  up  into 
womanhood  calling  the  faithful  creature  by  that  name. 
Sancho,  equally  as  faithful  as  his  wife,  had  also  earned 
the  title  that  was  bestowed  upon  him. 

I  trust  that  my  Northern  friends  will  refrain  from 
sneering  at  this  suggestive  allusion.  I  have  witnessed 
many  similar  attachments  between  slaves  and  the  chil- 
dren of  their  masters  in  the  South.  And,  therefore,  the 
touching  manifestation  of  mutual  tenderness  presented 
in  the  experience  of  Lady  Levasseur  and  her  colored 
servants,  was  by  no  means  a  rare  exception — especially 


WEARY    OF   LIFE.  225 

when  the  companionship  and  sympathy  of  a  natural 
mother  may  not  have  been  known  ! 

Sancho  and  Dinah  concluded  that  their  beloved  mis-, 
tress  would  be  better  off  in  New  Orleans,  where  her 
mother's  brother,  her  real  uncle,  might  advise  and 
direct  them.  They  asked  her  to  go,  and  she  seemed  to 
be  delighted  with  their  proposition.  So,  leaving  Flor- 
inda  in  charge  of  the  mansion,  the  servants  conducted 
Lady  Levasseur  back  to  the  familiar  scenes  of  her  once 
happy  home. 

Arriving  there,  her  mind  gradually  resumed  its  natu- 
ral vigor  and  tone.  But  she  continued  very  melan- 
choly, and  at  times  mourned  deeply  for  her  child.  And 
when  her  uncle  vowed  that  he  would  seek  Levasseur 
and  kill  him,  she  persuaded  him  not  to  do  so.  She 
loved  the  recreant  man  too  dearly  to  wish  him  harm. 

Sometimes  she  murmured  to  herself,  "  He  will  come 
back  by  and  by !  He  will  return  when  the  mad  spell  is 
broken  that  binds  him  now !  I'll  wait  for  him !  He 
went  away  at  night,  and  will  reappear  in  the  twilight 
of  evening  !  My  spirit  shall  not  leave  him !  The  old 
love  must  triumph  when  his  heart  grows  sad !" 

Meanwhile,  Florinda  had  become  weary  of  life.  She 
employed  Kaskadino  to  poison  Leonoi-e's  dear  mother 
away  up  in  Selkirk  Colony ;  and  at  last  suicide  would 
terminate  her  own  career !  I  can  not  say  whether  it  was 
remorse,  or  jealousy,  or  despair  that  drove  her  to  the 
act.  It  was  at  least  one  of  those  strange  freaks  of 
human  reason,  or  a  loss  of  reason  altogether,  that 
prompted  her  to  lock  herself  in  Lady  Levasseur's  ele- 
gant chamber  and  there  swallow  a  dose  of  laudanum. 
And  then,  perhaps,  she  went  to  sleep  upon  the  luxurious 
couch,  with  its  rich  canopy  of  blue  satin  and  gold  hang- 
ing around  her.  I  presume  this,  inasmuch  as  the  Goes 
10* 


226  THE   SECTARIAN    ASYLUM. 

found  the  door  locked  within,  and  because  she  was  not 
afterward  seen  by  mortal  eyes  ! 

If  this  theory  is  correct,  and  Mrs.  Coe  and  her  maiden 
sister,  and  Mr.  Coe,  had  been  able  to  unfasten  that  cham- 
ber door  when  they  explored  the  Levasseur  mansion, 
what  a  frightful  picture  would  have  met  their  gaze  ! 
But  by  some  unaccountable  means  the  mansion  and  all 
that  it  contained  went  to  destruction  by  fire  in  a  few 
hours  after  the  Goes  were  there ! 

Soon  after  she  had  been  left  alone,  a  letter  was  writ- 
ten by  Florinda  announcing  her  suicidal  intention.  That 
letter  was  received  in  New  Orleans,  but  its  declarations 
were  not  deemed  of  sufficient  meaning  to  call  for  inves- 
tigation until  an  account  of  the  burning  of  the  mansion 
reached  the  uncle  of  Lady  Levasseur.  And  then  the 
ruins  from  the  conflagration  were  left  smoldering  with- 
out the  personal  attention  of  any  one  for  nearly  two 
years.  The  property  was  eventually  sold. 

Lady  Levasseur  accompanied  her  uncle  to  New  York, 
when  he  himself  consummated  the  sale ;  and  while  in 
that  city  sh.e  prevailed  upon  him  to  accompany  her  to 
an  asylum  for  orphan  children.  She  had  often  heard  of 
such  places,  but  never  thought  much  about  them  until 
at  that  particular  time  she  conceived  a  great  desire  to 
inspect  one. 

They  visited  an  asylum  that  was  conducted  by  a 
religious  denomination  universally  noted  for  its  institu- 
tions of  charity  as  a  means  of  promoting  the  dogmas  of 
its  creed.  They  wisely  think  that  a  belief  planted  in 
the  mind  of  a  child  is  productive  of  far  more  good,  and 
vastly  more  enduring,  than  the  labored  conversion  of 
an  adult  heathen,  or  the  apostatizing  of  a  sectarian 
against  his  voluntary  will ! 

The  asylum  visited  by  Lady  Levasseur  was  devoted 


THE   LITTLE    ORPHANS.  227 

entirely  to  female  children,  where  she  saw  not  less  than 
four  hundred  little  orphans  in  charge  of  sober-faced 
matrons,  who  tried  to  look  motherly  and  kind,  but 
whose  rigid  features  were  painfully  significant  of  me- 
chanical duty,  either  as  an  irksome  task  of  imaginary 
propitiation  or  a  tedious  labor  for  the  subsistence  of 
life. 

There  was  the  infant,  who  had  not  yet  approached 
the  period  of  dentition,  creeping  and  crowing,  or  kick- 
ing and  crying — without  a  mother ! 

There  was  the  little  toddler,  ambitiously  struggling 
to  walk  from  the  bed  to  the  chair,  with  its  chirping 
laugh,  or  moaning  in  the  agony  of  bodily  pain — with- 
out a  mother ! 

There  was  the  three-year  old  child,  eagerly  scanning 
the  visage  of  each  stranger,  and  no  doubt  wondering 
what  made  that  little  girl  look  so  happy  in  her  pretty 
dress,  when  she  came  to  visit  them  yesterday — with  a 
mother ! 

And  there  was  a  long  double  file  of  older  girls,  in 
brown  dresses  and  check  aprons,  marching  through  a 
large  room  out  into  the  hall,  on  their  way  to  dinner ; 
some  with  sorrowful  faces  and  downcast  look,  and 
others  smiling  and  apparently  happy — all  without 
mothers ! 

And  in  another  room  there  was  one  sweet  little  fair- 
haired  child,  who  shrank  behind  the  nurse's  chair  and 
coyly  peeped  out,  imploringly  but  timidly,  with  a  melt 
ancholy  yearning  in  her  blue  eyes  that  touched  Lady 
Levasseur's  heart  more  than  all  the  others,  and  made 
her  sigh,  "  Poor,  dear,  sad  little  orphan !" 

And  Lady  Levasseur  must  know  more  of  the  sorrow- 
ful child.  The  nurse  could  answer  no  questions.  She 
really  knew  nothing  beyond  the  routine  of  her  daily 


228  NECKLACE    OF  JOB's-TEARS. 

vocation.  Fortunately  there  was  one  person  connected 
with  the  institution  Avho  evinced  an  unusual  willingness 
to  communicate  whatever  she  could  to  gratify  Lady 
Levasseur — and  that  was  the  registress  of  the  asylum. 

The  Record  described  No.  2,791  as  a  foundling  only  a 
few  weeks  old  when  it  was  brought  in  by  a  stranger, 
who  picked  it  up  in  some  by-place.  And  about  its 
neck  hung  a  string  of  Job's-tear  beads,  joined  by  a  small 
gold  locket,  upon  which  was  engraved  the  name  of 
"Fleurette."  Lady  Levasseur  wondered  if  some  fond 
mother  had  been  robbed  of  her  babe  and  left  as  deso- 
late as  she  was,  when  her  faithless  husband  and  those 
wicked  women  took  her  little  innocent  away?  But 
what  else  ?  She  wanted  to  know  all. 

The  stranger  who  brought  the  child  said  nothing 
about  the  locket.  Perhaps  that  escaped  her  notice  by 
being  concealed  beneath  the  child's  dress.  However,  it 
might  be  of  some  service  in  the  future ;  and  the  nurse 
was  instructed  by  the  principal  to  preserve  it,  and  to 
continually  keep  it  upon  the  child's  neck,  so  that  visit- 
ors might  see  it  there. 

Lady  Levasseur  sat  down  and  took  the  fair-haired 
orphan  upon  her  lap,  and  kissed  it,  and  asked  if  it 
would  like  to  go  and  live  with  her,  and  be  her  little 
daughter. 

The  child  threw  its  arms  around  Lady  Levasseur's 
neck,  and  cried  and  sobbed,  "  Oh,  yes  !  Oh,  yes  !" 

But  the  nurse  shook  her  head  in  doubt.  They  did 
not  permit  their  orphans  to  be  taken  away,  except  upon 
stringent  conditions,  and  by  certain  people.  Did  Lady 
Levasseur  belong  to  the  same  church  ? 

"  Yes,  I  do  !"  replied  her  uncle.  "  As  to  that,  I  can 
soon  satisfy  the  principal.  If  my  niece  wishes  to  adopt 
the  child,  we  can  give  all  the  references  required." 


THE    ADOPTED   CHILD.  229 

And  thus  the  little  orphan  became  the  adopted  child 
of  Lady  Levasseur.  They  called  her  Fleurette.  And 
from  the  hour  when  she  first  nestled  her  sunny  curls  so 
sweetly  upon  Lady  Levasseur's  bosom,  the  latter  began 
to  look  more  cheerful.  She  then  had  something  to 
love !  And  she  tried  to  fancy  that  her  own  darling  had 
come  home  to  her  aching  heart ! 

But  the  blow  which  Lady  Levasseur  sustained  by  the 
cruel  desertion  of  her  husband  had  nearly  broken  down 
her  health ;  and  the  insidious  worm  of  consumption  was 
gnawing  within.  Little  by  little,  from  day  to  day,  the 
poison  spread.  The  parched  skin,  the  internal  fever, 
the  hectic  flush  in  her  cheeks ;  and  then  that  burning, 
ominous  cough.  Paler,  weaker,  and  wasting  away, 
while  large  sums  of  money  were  accepted  by  physi- 
cians who  knew  they  could  not  kill  the  insidious  worm. 
Down,  gradually,  but  steadily  down — coughing,  and 
coughing  on  the  way ! 

But  the  invalid's  uncle  could  not  wait  for  her  to  die ! 
One  night  there  was  a  rapping  at  his  chamber  door ; 
and  old  Mortality,  clad  in  that  dismal  garb  of  death, 
softly  entered,  and  silently  bade  his  soul  depart  and 
leave  his  body  return  again  to  clay  ! 

Lady  Levassevir  also  inherited  the  vast  wealth  of  her 
uncle.  But  she  must  soon  follow  him  to  the  grave. 
And  then  where  would  all  her  riches  go?  To  her 
adopted  child ! 

But  while  life  remained,  hope  could  not  die.  And 
then  she  heard  of  that  "bright  realm  of  flowers,  of 
beautiful  lakes  and  winding  streams,"  where  invalids 
do  not  suffocate  with  miasmatic  breath.  The  sunny 
South  also  had  its  flowers,  its  lakes  and  its  streams — 
all  beautiful  everywhere.  But  Nature  was  too  prodigal 
with  her  flowers  blooming  all  the  year.  So  much  life 


THE    FLOWERY    LAND.  231 

engendered  perpetual  decay ;  and  though  very  charm- 
ing to  the  eye,  there  was  a  poison  in  the  air  that  toyed 
even  amon^  the  aromatic  leaves  of  the  fruit-laden 

O 

orange  tree ! 

Minnesota !  The  land  with  lakes  and  streams  of 
steel-blue  water  beneath  a  steel-blue  sky ! 

The  land  where  no  malarious  vapors  ever  rise ! 

The  land  of  hope,  where  enchantment  soon  lures  the 
deepest  melancholy  into  cheerful  smiles  ! 

The  land  of  promise,  where  consumptives  may  rise 
from  their  beds,  and  walk,  and  laugh  in  unison  with 
bird-songs  of  joy  heard  warbling  in  the  groves ! 

Lady  Levasseur  was  en  voyage  to  Minnesota.  Her 
devoted  slaves  went  with  her,  and  so  did  Fleurette,  her 
darling  adopted  child ! 

But  the  odious  vampire  would  not  let  her  pass  !  He 
heard  her  languidly-breathing  cough,  and  chuckled  with 
a  thirsty  grin.  Assuming  human  form  and  Christian 
guise,  with  the  cold,  leaden  eyes  of  Dr.  Passion,  he 
gloated  in  anticipation  upon  the  dying  wreck  of  beauty 
and  tortured  love ! 

Farmer  Denton  wanted  to  befriend  the  weak  every- 
where. Goliah  was  ever  ready  to  stand  by  his  master, 
and  did  not  always  wait  for  his  call.  He  frequently 
proved  that  a  "  dumb  animal "  may  have  a  slight  modi- 
cum of  reason. 

Perhaps  I  overestimate  the  sagacity  of  the  canine 
species,  while  a  majority  of  my  fellow-mortals  under- 
value the  attributes  of  the  noblest  creature  next  to  man  ! 
Experience  will  teach  the  wisest  of  us  to  believe  what 
we  might  otherwise  never  know — and  the  knowledge 
or  the  wisdom  thus  acquired  will  not  forsake  us  very 
soon ! 

Goliah  did  understand  the  wishes  of  his  master,  and 


232  A  DOG'S  PERCEPTION. 

immediately  took  upon  himself  the  singular  task  of 
watching  every  person  and  scrutinizing  every  object 
"that  passed  in  or  out  of  state-room  c.  He  wagged  his 
tail  at  Dinah  and  at  Sancho,  and  frisked  around  Fleu- 
rette,  while  she  did  not  hesitate  to  put  her  arms  about 
his  immense  neck  and  talk  to  him  as  she  would  to  any 
person  whom  she  loved.  Well  she  might,  for  his  flow- 
ing hair  was  entirely  free  from  odor  and  soil.  A  digni- 
fied animal,  proud  and  clean ! 

"  O,  isn't  he  nice !"  exclaimed  Fleurette.  In  the  inno- 
cence of  her  heart,  she  could  not  refrain  from  caressing 
the  noble  creature. 

How  strange  it  is  that  while  some  people  have  an 
innate  fondness  for  domestic  animals,  others  will  shrink 
from  even  the  touch  of  a  pretty  little  kitten.  And  dogs 
are  quick  to  perceive  wTho  like  them.  It  is  also  very 
remarkable  and  positively  true,  that  the  more  intelli- 
gent breed  of  dogs  can  detect  the  viciousness  or  the  dis- 
honesty of  those  who  shun  them !  Farmer  Denton  often 
said  that  he  invariably  suspected  any  one  who  manifest- 
ed a  repugnance  to  his  dog,  and  at  the  same  time  he 
made  it  a  rule  to  respect  those  whom  his  dog  did  not 
condemn ! 

Goliah  was  evidently  shy  of  Dr.  Passion  and  that 
friend  of  his.  At  least  he  would  not  approach  them. 
And,  pretending  to  look  in  another  direction,  he  furtively 
eyed  them  crosswise,  while  they  were  no  less  distant  in 
their  maneuvering  to  avoid  him. 

As  usual  in  such  cases  the  clerk  of  the  boat  firmly 
remonstrated  against  Goliah's  free  entrance  to  the  sa- 
loon. Farmer  Denton  admitted  that  common  dogs 
were  hardly  fit  to  enter  the  ladies'  saloon.  But  Go- 
liah was  an  exception.  He  had  been  reared  with  rules 
of  unquestionable  propriety;  and  was  accustomed  to 


THE  INVALID'S  FRIEND.  233 

ladies'  society.  The  ladies  admired  him !  And  Farmer 
Denton  significantly  said : 

"  You'll  find  it  a  plaguy  ugly  job  to  get  between  us, 
anyhow.  That  dog  is  the  best  friend  I've  got  in  the 
world.  I  have  him  with  me  now,  because  I'm  moving 
up  to  Minnesota — and  he's  just  precisely  what  a  man  in 
my  situation  wants  to  guarantee  safety !  There's  money 
in  my  pocket,  and  that  dog  knows  it's  there.  While 
he  is  near,  no  pickpocket  is  smart  enough  to  rob  me. 
And  when  I  sleep  at  night,  he  lies  as  close  as  lie  can 
get,  with  one  eye  open  and  his  prodigious  jaws  ready  to 
spring  like  a  mammoth  steel-trap,  should  any  one  come 
fingering  round.  You  see,  sir,  that's  iny  dog — and 
we're  in  the  '  same  boat  together.'  I'll  throw  in  that 
joke,  gratis.  Goliah  goes  in  and  out  with  me  every- 
where. Eh — you  see  ?" 

Farmer  Denton  did  make  the  acquaintance  of  Lady 
Levasseur.  She  was  going  to  Minnesota  for  her  health, 
and  he  intended  making  his  future  home  there.  He 
had  some  excuse  for  offering  his  services  on  the  score 
of  that,  if  nothing  else.  And  she  was  glad  to  meet 
such  an  honest-appearing  man. 

He  was  not  long  in  speaking  his  mind  about  Dr.  Pas- 
sion, and  bluntly  said : 

"  Don't  take  any  more  of  that  quack  stuff!  Throw  it 
all  away !"  He  made  a  grimace  of  disgust  and  con- 
tempt. "  It  won't  do  you  a  bit  of  good.  It's  only  so 
much  white  dust  from  Montmarte,  with  a  flavoring  of 
gall,  to  give  it  a  bitterness  for  effect — or  some  other 
equally  inefficacious  nonsense,  or  a  slow  poison !  Try 
to  get  out  on  deck  and  inhale  some  of  this  invigorating 
atmosphere.  We're  getting  into  Minnesota  now — and 
/  can  already  perceive  a  vast  change  in  the  air.  Come 
out,  do  !  Here,  girls,  held  her  all  you  can !  She's 


234  A  "COLORED"  EXIGMA. 

going  to  throw  away  them  quack  powders  and  take 
nothing  but  the  rejuvenescence  of  Minnesota.  Now, 
help  her,  girls !  She'll  be  stronger  to-morrow,  and 
stronger  yet  the  day  after.  Her  cheeks  will  soon  be  as 
rosy  as  yours.  Come,  girls,  she's  not  going  to  lie  here 
any  more.  Won't  it  be  funny  if  she's  promenading  the 
deck  without  assistance  before  we  reach  St.  Paul  ?" 

Dr.  Passion  was  not  a  witness  to  that  scene.  And 
Lady  Levasseur  did  take  courage  from  the  blunt  and 
earnest  sympathy  of  the  paternal  farmer.  His  daugh- 
ters were  also  kind  and  attentive  to  her,  and  a  bond  of 
lasting  friendship  was  being  established  between  her 
and  them.  And  it  did  not  stop  there.  The  feeling 
spread.  A  perfect  web  of  more  than  ordinarily  good 
feeling  reached  all  around — not  forgetting  the  "  colored 
folks  and  the  dog." 

Indeed,  the  relationship  of  the  invalid  and  the  "  col- 
ored folks"  was  somewhat  enigmatical  to  the  farmer 
and  his  daughters,  all  of  whom  entertained  the  popular 
prejudices  of  the  community  in  which  they  had  always 
lived.  He  was  bitterly  opposed  to  slavery,  and  yet 
never  imagined  that  Africans  were  worthy  of  such  con- 
fidence and  trust  as  Lady  Levasseur  reposed  in  Sancho. 
He  contended  that  negroes  should  have  their  freedom, 
the  same  as  white  people ;  but  they  were  at  best  only 
miserable  creatures,  very  far  beneath  the  genuine  stand- 
ard of  human  beings.  And  for  all  his  concern  about 
their  bondage,  like  a  majority  of  the  class  with  whom 
his  ideas  were  intimately  identified,  he  did  not  look  to 
the  elevation  of  their  social  position.  They  were  good 
enough  for  menials,  but  nothing  more.  He  inherited 
those  prejudices  of  his  father  in  the  same  manner  that 
his  daughters  imbibed  them  from  him,  without  actual 
inquiry  beyond  traditional  belief.  However,  he  pos- 


IMITATIVE    BEIXGS.  235 

sessed  a  generous  mind,  as  well  as  quick  perception,  and 
to  his  daughters  frankly  said : 

"  That  old  Sancho  is  the  worthiest  negro  I  ever  saw. 
And  if  it  wasn't  for  his  yellow  skin  and  that  inevitable 
wool  on  the  back  pai't  of  his  head,  he'd  pass  for  a  real 
gentleman.  Why,  he's  as  dignified  and  self-possessed 
as  a  schoolmaster,  and  not  in  the  least  pompous  or 
supercilious,  like  those  black  peacocks  who  live  in  Jer- 
sey. I  tell  you  what  it  is,  girls  ;  there's  a  great  deal  in 
example.  That  old  fellow  has  been  accustomed  to  what 
they  call  society,  and  he's  picked  up  the  mannerisms  of 
well-bred  people.  We  are  all  imitative  beings,  ever 
unconsciously  acquiring  the  tastes  and  habits  of  those 
around  us.  And  the  worst  of  it  is,  we  seem  to  gather 
the  evil  with  more  avidity  than  the  good.  This  colored 
person  is  an  exception  to  that  rule,  though;  for  he 
appears  to  have  improved  upon  the  inferiority  of  his 
race.  Ah,  but  what  charming  scenery  we're  passing 
along  the  river  all  this  time !"  the  farmer  exclaimed,  as 
a  beautiful  sunset  view  appeared  to  suddenly  dissipate 
his  ethical  discourse.  "  Talk  about  the  magnificent 
Hudson  !  Why,  this  is  infinitely  more  sublime  !  Now, 
girls,  feast  your  eyes  on  that !" 

But  presently  "  Bob,"  a  sable-skinned  individual,  act- 
ing as  steward  ad  interim,  tapped  the  farmer  on  his 
shoulder  and  faintly  ai-ticulated,  "  Tea's  ready,  sah !" 
That  was  intended  for  the  sly  premonition  which  dining- 
saloon  figurantes  habitually  give  ladies,  in  advance  of 
the  rattling  of  the  bell  or  banging  of  the  gong.  The 
custom  was  originally  adopted  with  a  twofold  object. 
It  enabled  ladies  to  secure  eligible  places  at  the  table 
before  a  general  scrambling  of  the  multitude  destroyed 
the  formality  of  conventional  etiquette  by  promiscuoiis 
confusion.  And  it  was  also  a  suggestive  incentive  for 


236  MAKING   COMPARISONS. 

the  pecuniary  remembrance  of  attention  thus  be- 
stowed. 

"That's  the  talk!"  responded  Denton.  "Be  there 
instanter !"  Then,  as  "  Bob  "  hurried  away,  he  added, 
for  his  daughter's  hearing,  "  Some  difference  'twixt 
these  darkies  and  old  Sancho.  The  latter  would  not 
tap  a  white  man  on  the  shoulder  in  that  way.  Another 
instance  to  illustrate  what  I  told  you  a  while  ago — that 
example  is  everything.  This  smart  young  Ethiop  has 
been  reared  in  the  harum-scarum  looseness  of  quick 
come  and  go.  But  we  had  better  take  his  hint,  and  get 
seats  near  the  captain.  I  like  Captain  Webb !  He's  a 
clever  man ;  and  the  oldest  captain  on  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi River. 

"  By  the  way ;  I've  already  observed  that  these  West- 
ern steamboat  captains  are  far  more  social  than  those 
occupying  a  similar  position  on  the  rivers  in  the  East. 
I  once  addressed  a  civil  question  to  the  captain  of  a 
Sound  steamer,  and,  instead  of  giving  a  decent  answer, 
he  pushed  me  to  one  side  and  pompously  walked  on, 
without  so  much  as  a  grunt  or  a  smile.  And  the  joke 
of  it  was,  that  I  subsequently  repaid  his  incivility  with 
compound  interest  in  the  bargain.  He  happened  to  be 
visiting  an  acquaintance  near  Westfield.  When  he  got 
out  of  the  cars,  my  buggy  stood  near  the  station ;  and 
some  one  told  him  that  I  was  going  right  past  the 
house  where  his  acquaintance  lived,  a  mile  or  so  from 
town.  He  approached  me  full  of  smiles  then.  Of 
course  he  didn't  recognize  me  in  connection  with  that 
little  bit  of  arrogance  on  the  Sound.  But  I  remem- 
bered him.  '  Would  I  be  so  kind  as  to  give  him  a 
ride  ?'  he  obsequiously  inquired.  I  eyed  him  with  a 
look  of  non-comprehension,  and  uttered  no  reply.  He 
then  repeated  the  inquiry,  additionally  remarking: 


TAKING   A   BATH.  237 

« The  road  is  so  muddy  that  I  shall  certainly  spoil  my 
apparel  if  obliged  to  walk!'  I  had  a  great  mind  to 
drive  off  and  make  no  answer  at  all.  But  that  wouldn't 
be  like  me.  So  I  politely  gave  him  a  seat  in  the 
buggy.  When  we  arrived  at  his  friend's  house,  I  de- 
tained him  a  moment  to  recall  his  incivility  on  the 
Sound.  The  circumstance  was  not  forgotten.  And  he 
apologized  with  the  most  sheepish  expression  of  coun- 
tenance possible  to  squeeze  out  of  a  living  man.  And 
that's  the  way  I  repaid  him  !" 

"  Bob "  assisted  them  in  making  a  satisfactory  even- 
ing repast ;  and  then,  when  the  saloon  was  restored  to 
its  normal  condition,  he  and  his  comrades  extemporized 
a  Minstrel  Band.  First  "dey  had  de  oberture,"  and 
"den  de  program  ob  songs,"  all  terminating  with  a 
pleasant  cotillon  or  two  for  "  de  ladees  and  gem'ens " 
who  wished  to  dance ! 

The  next  day  about  noon  they  arrived  at  the  levee  of 
St.  Paul.  Dr.  Passion  seemed  very  anxious  to  land 
as  soon  as  the  plank  could  be  thrown  ashore.  He  stood 
upon  the  lower  deck  where  the  men  bustled  around  in 
the  hurry  and  confusion  of  making  fast.  And  there  he 
received  more  than  one  rudely  admonishing  shove. 
But  perhaps  he  had  engagements  to  fill.  Credulous 
people  might  be  expecting  him  at  a  certain  hotel  where 
he  was  advertised  to  perform  miraculous  cures.  He 
was  exceedingly  impatient,  be  the  cause  what  it  might. 
But  bad  luck  was  in  store  for  him,  nevertheless.  Some- 
body did  something  that  pushed  somebody  else,  so  that 
in  the  surge  his  foot  caught  under  a  rope.  A  pitch  and 
a  stumble,  and  backward  into  the  river  plunged  the 
great  medical  man  !  And  some  cruel  jester  tantalizing- 
ly  sang  out,  in  a  quizzical  tone  of  voice,  "  How  are  you, 
Hydropathy !" 


CHAPTEK   XVII. 


Doctor  Passion  tum- 
bled into  the  river,  Goliah  sat 
upon  his  haunches  near  the  rail- 
ing above,  without  appearing  to 
notice  what  had  happened ;  and 
a  crusty  millwright  sneeringly 
cried  out  to  Farmer  Denton, 
"  Where's  your  wonderful  dog, 
now?  I  say,  stranger,  guess 
you've  been  blowing  some. 
Didn't  you  tell  us  all  how  he'd  pull  a  man  out  of  the 
water  if  one  accidentally  got  in  ?" 

"  My  dog  don't  consider  the  life  of  that  fellow  worth 
diving  after.  He's  too  sagacious  to  trouble  himself 
about  saving  a  blasted  quack !" 

Then  a  chorus  of  voices  swelled  up  in  ridicule  of  the 
farmer  and  his  dog.  But  the  next  instant  they  all  heard 
a  feminine  shriek  as  the  form  of  Fleurctte  was  seen 
falling  fi-om  the  guard-railing  of  the  upper  deck.  Hav- 
ing rushed  out  to  see  what  the  people  meant  by  the 


240  RESCUE    OF   FLEUKETTE. 

cries  of  "  man  overboard  !"  she  lost  her  balance,  in  some 
unaccountable  way,  during  the  excitement  of  the  scene, 
and  was  also  precipitated  into  the  river  below. 

Goliah  heard  Fleurette's  shriek,  and  instantly  leaped 
clear  over  the  railing  out  into  the  air.  With  a  tre- 
mendous splash  he  struck  the  water  and  disappeared 
for  an  instant  to  rise  near  Fleurette.  But  he  approached 
her  carefully.  She  saw  him  coming  and  endeavored  to 
anticipate  his  maneuvers.  He  quickly  seized  the  back 
of  her  dress  between  the  shoulders,  and  tenderly,  but 
firmly,  his  teeth  grasped  the  top  of  it  in  such  a  skillful 
manner  that  he  was  enabled  to  keep  her  head  entirely 
out  of  the  water.  And  then  he  swam  ashore  with  her 
as  gently  as  the  pleasant  sporting  of  a  swan. 

The  huzzas  of  the  people  on  board  the  boat  and  the 
crowd  upon  the  levee  were  loud  and  long  in  applause  at 
the  quick  rescue  of  Fleurette,  and  that,  too,  while  Dr. 
Passion  was  borne  down  with  the  current  to  the  bow  of 
an  "  opposition  steamer."  He  would  drown  for  certain 
if  his  preservation  depended  upon  Goliah,  who  wras 
wholly  interested  in  Fleurette. 

The  bystanders  began  to  gather  around ;  and  some 
gentlemen  thought  to  help  Fleurette  back  on  board  the 
boat,  after  Goliah  carried  her  ashore — but  a  terrible 
growl  from  the  jealous  animal  drove  them  all  back  in 
fright.  And  then,  still  clinging  to  his  neck  for  support, 
the  half-drowned  girl  was  escorted  safely  up  the  long 
plank,  to  the  wonder  and  amusement  of  the  multitude, 
and  with  extreme  delight  to  herself. 

"  There  !"  shouted  Fanner  Denton,  amid  the  clapping 
of  hands  and  an  enthusiastic  repetition  of  vehement 
huzzas.  "There!  Now  you  see!  That's  what  my 
dog'll  do !" 

And,  indeed,  it  was  not  the  first  time  that  Goliah  had 


OVATION  TO  "GOLIAH."  241 

been  a  hero  !  Many  exploits  of  a  remarkable  nature 
were  connected  with  his  previous  history. 

The  wet  garments  of  Fleurette  were  exchanged  for 
others,  while  her  canine  preserver  stretched  himself 
at  full  length  to  dry  his  dripping  hair  in  the  sunshine 
near  the  outer  door  of  state-room  c,  where  he  could  hear 
what  was  going  on  within. 

A  deck  hand  of  the  opposition  steamer  took  pity  on 
Dr.  Passion,  and  finally  succeeded  in  getting  him  on 
board  more  dead  than  alive. 

Farmer  Denton  was  considered  a  good  and  a  humane 
man  by  those  who  knew  him  well ;  but  when  the  vam- 
pire came  up  out  of  the  river,  he  could  not  refrain  from 
muttering, 

"  I  really  was  in  hope  that  scamp  would  drown !" 

But  though  Fleurette  unintentionally  "  cut  such  a 
splash  "  by  way  of  announcing  her  arrival  in  St.  Paul, 
everybody  seemed  to  be  highly  delighted  at  the  happy 
and  novel  result.  Sancho  said  to  Dinah  :  "  I  mus  say 
dat  ar  mon'cerus  big  dog  kin  beat  ebrey  udder  animile 
I'ze  seed  in  my  time,  all  holler."  To  which  Dinah  re- 
plied :  "  An  eze  wuf  eze  hull  wate  en  bran  new  goold 
dollars  right  out  ob  de  mint !" 

If  any  distinguished  personage  ever  felt  "  afflict- 
ingly  bored  "  by  a  grand  ovation,  Goliah  certainly  expe- 
rienced the  misery  of  being  great.  Even  those  inveter- 
ate dog-haters,  who  exist  everywhere,  joined  in  the 
multiform  plaudits  bestowed  upon  him.  The  deck- 
hands whistled  for  him  to  come  down  among  them,  and 
the  imps  of  the  culinary  sanctum  brought  out  gammon 
bones,  refuse  steaks,  and  surplus  chops,  to  entice  him 
above.  And  the  austere  clerk  actually  snapped  his 
thumb  and  finger  with  a  patronizing  chirp.  But  the 
dignified  quadruped  made  no  response  to  any  of  them. 
11 


242  THE  WIDOWER'S  HEART. 

If  his  tail  wagged  at  all,  it  did  so  only  when  his  ac- 
knowledged and  more  intimate  friends  gave  him  their 
attention.  Indeed,  he  would  have  preferred  much  less 
demonstrative  noise  on  his  account. 

Busied  with  Sancho  and  Dinah  in  arranging  their 
things  for  leaving  the  steamer,  Lady  Levasseur  did  not 
know  of  the  frightful  accident  to  Fleurette,  until  after 
it  was  entirely  over;  and  then,  perceiving  the  attach- 
ment between  Fleurette  and  the  noble  animal,  she  im- 
mediately proposed  that  his  master  should  sell  him 
to  her. 

"There  ain't  enough  money  in  the  world  to  buy  that 
dog !"  replied  the  farmer.  "  He's  none  of  those  com- 
mon curs.  No  mongrel  in  him !  Why,  bless  you, 
lady,  he's  a  pure  St.  Bernard ;  and  knows  a  heap  more 
than  some  folks  who'd  like  to  kick  him  when  he  passes 
them.  My  wife  thought  everything  of  that  dog  when 
she  was  alive,  and  I  value  him  all  the  more  because  she 
liked  him  so  !  And  the  girls  would  cry  their  eyes  out 
if  anything  should  happen  to  him !  He's  often  saved 
my  property,  and  he  once  saved  my  life  !  I'd  be  ever 
so  much  delighted  to  gratify  you,  for  the  sake  of  your 
daughter;  but  you  don't  want  to  take  him  from  us 
now,  after  I've  told  you  all  that.  We'd  feel  sadder 
than  ever  in  our  new  home,  if  Goliah  wasn't  there  with 
us !  Ah,  we  shall  be  lonely  enough  without  mother ! 
That's  Eliza,  I  mean — my  wife  that  was,  and  mother  to 
those  four  daughters  of  mine.  She  died  with — I  beg 
your  pardon  for  making  unpleasant  allusions.  But 
mother — I  call  her  mother,  you  know.  We  Northern 
folks  have  our  qiieer  ways — and  perhaps  you  Southern- 
ers have  some  odd  customs  as  well  as  us.  Mother  died 
with  the  consumption!  And  I  shall  always  believe 
that  if  I  had  brought  her  up  here,  to  Minnesota,  she 


PARTING   REGRETS.  243 

would  have  been  alive  this  day  !  But  you're  here  now; 
and  depend  upon  it,  you'll  recover  very  soon !" 

Sancho  and  Dinah  both  murmured  something  like, 
"  Praise  de  Lor'  fur  what  dat  ar  good  man  wid  de  big 
dog  am  say'n  to  Missus  now !" 

"  Oh,  what  a  pleasant  place !"  whispered  Fleurette, 
as  they  rode  up  Third  street  in  the  vehicle  that  con- 
veyed them  to  the  Merchants'  Hotel.  If  she  was 
pleased  with  the  short  ride  up  that  hill,  what  would 
she  say  when  they  came  to  view  the  grand  magnifi- 
cence of  the  wide-spread  city,  with  hundreds  of  costly 
stores,  and  stylish  residences  scattered  around  in  the 
suburbs,  and  elegant  villas  upon  the  surrounding  hills  ? 

The  best  of  friends  may  be  compelled  to  separate  in 
the  uneven  course  of  life ;  and  the  parting  interview  of 
those  two  families  was  not  without  sincere  and  em- 
phatically demonstrated  regrets.  The  farmer's  new 
home  was  beyond  St.  Paul — nearly  a  hundred  miles 
from  that  city.  And  the  following  morning,  he  and  his 
four  daughters  and  Goliah  went  off  by  railway  cars, 
that  ran  some  distance  partly  in  the  direction  which 
they  were  going. 

Meanwhile,  Lady  Levasseur  had  not  risen  before  Dr. 
Passion  called  to  attend  her.  Then  the  card  of  another 
distinguished  medicastre  was  also  brought  to  her  for 
admission.  Indeed,  it  was  apparently  probable  that  the 
vampires  actually  employed  emissaries  to  watch  the 
arrival  of  every  steamer  and  report  the  coming  of  inva- 
lids. And  if  any  wretched  consumptive  got  safely 
housed  without  being  caught  by  the  "malady  detect- 
ives," then  the  auricular  sensibility  of  the  professional 
cormorants  who  instigated  them,  was  so  marvelously 
acute  that  they  had  no  difficulty  in  hearing  the  least 
possible  symptom  of  a  new  cough,  breathed  or  other- 


244  SANCHO  AND  THE  QUACKS. 

wise  uttered,  in  any  part  of  the  city.  (But  such  impos- 
tors are  scarce  there  now — the  citizens  having  taken 
measures  to  greatly  discourage  them.) 

But  Lady  Levasseur  was  thoroughly  impressed  with 
the  philosophy  of  Farmer  Denton ;  and,  consequently, 
none  of  the  soi  disant  Esculapians  were  successful  in 
their  devices  of  approach. 

"  Whar  on  arth,  all  dem  ar  doct'rs  born,  I  wund'r  ?" 
remarked  Dinah  to  Sancho. 

"  Bress  my  stars — de  ole  gal  aint  got  sperience  nuff 
in  dis  sinful  worle  to  know  ow  dat  am.  You  see, 
honey,  in  de  fust  place — dat  am  in  de  begin'n— dey  wus 
two  speerits.  Wun  of  dem  ar  speerits  wus  good,  an  de 
udder  wus  bad.  An  de  bad  wun's  bin  flurish'n  all  dis 
time  like  a  '  green  bay  tree.'  An  you  recumember  de 
beeographee  ob  dem  ar  orf '1  hungry  big  fishes  what  am 
call'd  sherks,  an  how  dey  foll'rs  art'r  a  ship  on  de  see, 
when  dey  smells  sick  folks  aboard.  You  does  recumem- 
ber dat  quar  beeographee  ob  de  fishes  !  Well,  den,  my 
lub ;  dese  yar  doct'r  chaps  is  land  sherks — an  dey  is  all 
de  time  skoot'n  or  sneek'n  round  on  de  sly  whar-ebber 
inwalids  trabbel.  Dey  is  wus'n  sherks — kase  de  sherks 
oney  want  de  ded  corpuses,  wile  de  quacks  take  sick 
pussun's  mun'y  wid  dar  libes,  an  den  leab  dar  corpuses 
fur  udder  folks  tu  beerry.  You  see  Dinar,  ole  gal ;  de 
mascumline  mind  ob  de  starn'r  sex'us  am  abel  to  par'- 
seeb  what  ain't  all'rs  komprehenshunabel  to  de  karnel 
cents  ob  lubly  wom'n !" 

Dinah  was  proud  of  Sancho  as  a  man ;  and,  never 
having  listened  to  the  demoralizing  precepts  of  the 
strong-minded  gynecian  squabblers,  who  are  striving 
with  all  their  might  to  instigate  a  connubial  revolution, 
she  experienced  much  pleasure  in  hearing  what  she 
called  "  de  voice  ob  wis'um."  She  was  all  the  prouder 


THE  "LOCALS"  OF  ST.  PAUL.  245 

of  Sancho  because  the  blood  of  his  mother's  master — a 
very  distinguished  statesman — flowed  in  his  own  veins. 
And  when  he  paused  for  breath,  she  responded,  "Dat 
am  a  fac !" 

Sancho's  comparison  of  consumption  quacks  and  rapa- 
cious fish  was  better  than  any  I  might  suggest ;  and  it 
is  quite  probable  that  Dinah's  approbation  would  have 
been  accorded  in  by  a  multitude  of  victims,  if  they  had 
heard  him  explain  his  theory. 

The  newspapers,  next  morning,  announced  the  arrival 
of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Passion,  who  had  returned  once 
more  after  an  absence  (of  I  don't  know  how  long),  in 
St.  Louis.  And  there  was  an  accompanying  suggestion 
that  invalids  would  rejoice  at  his  coming.  But  nothing 
was  said  about  his  aquatic  adventure  at  the  levee.  Nor 
did  the  unamphibious  "  locals  "  make  any  mention  of  a 
young  lady  having  been  rescued  from  drowning  by  a 
dog.  However,  the  perambulent  scribes  were  excusable 
for  their  inubiquity  of  that  day,  inasmuch  as  they  had 
just  returned  from  a  rather  extended  fishing  excursion, 
the  convivial  hilarity  and  fatigue  of  which  left  their 
usually  multocular  faculties  of  perception  in  a  conse- 
quent state  of  sleepiness.  In  fact,  their  visual  organs 
were  closed  in  slumber  at  the  precise  moment  when 
Goliah's  heroism  occurred.  But  one  of  them  more  than 
atoned  for  his  unavoidable  hallucination,  by  subse- 
quently writing  and  publishing  an  epic  stanzas  in  com- 
memoration of  the  "  scenic  "  event — a  copy  of  which  is" 
still  among  the  literary  treasures  of  Fleurette.  And,  in 
accordance  with  the  spirit  of  progress  so  characteristic 
of  the  North-west,  that  effusive  reporter  is  now  the  sole 
proprietor  of  a  flourishing  journal  in  a  neighboring 
town. 

Lady  Levasseur  was  very  rich.     The  death  of  her 


246  SOUTHERN  IDEAS  OF  COLD. 

uncle  left  her  more  than  she  knew  what  to  do  with. 
Fortunately,  the  greater  part  of  his  wealth  and  hers 
was  invested  in  the  North ;  and  therefore  the  rebellion 
would  not  impoverish  her. 

She  had  a  twofold  object  in  leaving  New  Orleans. 
A  change  of  air,  and  escape  from  the  horrors  of  the  war. 
Many  of  her  Southern  acquaintances  sneeringly  laughed 
at  the  idea  of  going  "up  the  river"  two  or  three  thou- 
sand miles,  almost  to  the  Arctic  Pole — as  they  said — 
where  it  was  cold  enough  to  freeze  the  blood  in  her 
veins ;  and  that,  too,  when  she  had  the  consumption. 
And  some  of  them  strongly  hinted  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Xorth-west  were,  for  most  part,  little  better  than 
cannibals.  The  hordes  of  mud-sills  and  wild  Indians 
would,  in  all  probability,  rob  and  scalp  her  before  she 
had  been  there  a  week. 

Yet  she  remembered  hearing  her  husband  speak  of 
that  country  and  its  people.  And  what  he  said  was  not 
in  accordance  with  the  extremely  absurd  impression  of 
her  advisers,  who  sincerely  believed  that  Paradise  ex- 
isted only  in  the  latitude  of  orange-blossoms  and  sugar- 
cane. She  expected  to  die  very  soon.  But,  for  the  sake 
of  lingering  with  Fleurette  as  long  as  possible,  she  would 
go,  hoping  for  some  relief. 

It  might  have  been  that  Farmer  Denton's  encourage- 
ment animated  her  spirits  and  imbued  her  with  fresh 
strength.  Though,  without  reducing  that  theory  to 
argument  as  a  test,  it  may  be  recorded  that  her  health 
began  to  improve  with  her  advent  in  St.  Paul.  At  first 
she  rode  out  in  a  close  carriage  only  a  short  distance, 
and  but  once  a  day.  The  fatigue  which  seemed  intoler- 
able to  her  when  she  began  riding  sensibly  diminished 
in  a  little  while,  and  in  a  few  weeks'  time  she  volun- 
tarily extended  her  drives,  and  repeated  them  in  an 


THE  BLUE-BIRDS'  SONG.  247 

open  vehicle  and  on  horseback,  for  the  sake  of  inhaling 
all  the  more  air. 

Then  winter  came,  with  its  beautiful  dry  snow,  its 
clear  sky  and  its  lovely  moonlight  nights.  Sleigh-bells 
were  merrily  ringing  up  and  down  the  highways,  and 
Lady  Levasseur's  "  turn-out "  sped  along  as  gaily  as  the 
rest  of  them.  The  pallor  vanished  from  her  cheeks  to 
admit  a  roseate  glow;  her  eyes  lost  their  languor  in 
sparkling  animation ;  her  colorless  lips  were  ruddy  and 
smooth;  her  attenuated  form  resumed  its  original  full- 
ness and  beauty ;  her  listless  gait  was  quickened  into  an 
elastic  step,  and  the  pleasant  intimation  of  a  smile  upon 
her  countenance  disclosed  more  cheerfulness  in  her 
heart.  When  the  blue-birds  came  back  to  herald  the 
approach  of  spring  with  their  twittering  song,  she  and 
Fleurette  were  almost  daily  seen  on  horseback  galloping 
out  on  Summit  avenue  and  returning  to  town  by  another 
way.  As  the  buttercups  grew,  the  beautiful  mother 
and  her  lovely  adopted  daughter  were  plucking  them 
like  two  school  children  in  holiday  glee.  And  with  the 
transition  of  season  from  early  blossoms  to  summer 
flowers,  while  increasing  verdure  spread,  and  productive 
existence  matured  into  teeming  glory,  so  renewed  health 
and  still  greater  enjoyment  were  realized  by  both  of 
them. 

Meanwhile,  Farmer  Denton  and  his  daughters,  and 
Goliah,  were  quite  happy  in  their  new  home.  Mercy 
kept  up  a  regular  correspondence  with  Lady  Levasseur, 
or  perhaps  I  should  say  with  Fleurette,  who  was  ex- 
tremely delighted  to  act  as  secretary  for  her  adopted 
mother.  And  it  was  arranged  that  Lady  Levasseur  and 
Fleurette,  and  Sancho  and  Dinah,  should  go  and  spend 
a  few  weeks  at  the  farm,  where  Mr.  Denton  had  put 
everything  in  the  very  best  shape,  on  purpose,  he  said. 


248  THE    SIOUX    WAR-WHOOP. 

to  make  it  pleasant  for  them  when  they  came,  as  ex- 
pected, during  the  second  week  in  August,  which  was 
then  near  at  hand. 

But,  alas  for  human  expectations !  The  Sioux  War- 
whoop  suddenly  rent  the  peaceful  air  that  was  laden  with 
prosperity  and  alive  with  buoyant  hopes.  The  appalling 
alarm  came  like  a  thunderbolt,  with  howling  demons 
and  death !  The  Indians  had  been  reduced  to  a  state  of 
starvation  in  consequence  of  not  receiving  their  Annuity 
Money  when  they  needed  it  most.  And  numbers  of 
them  actually  died  in  want  of  food  while  waiting  for 
the  tardy  movements  of  Government  officials  some- 
where ! 

The  Indian  is  required  to  bring  in  his  wife  and  all  his 
children,  if  he  expects  to  draw  anything  for  them. 

"  White  man  can't  trust  Injun — for  he  lies !"  He 
would  say  that  he  had  twenty  papooses  in  his  teepee 
beyond  the  lake  or  the  river,  when  he  did  not  really 
have  so  much  as  a  teepee  or  even  a  squaw !  Therefore 
he  must  bring  his  family  to  the  Agency  to  draw  their 
pay.  The  agent  can  then  count  their  noses,  without 
question  or  doubt. 

"  Injun  can't  trust  white  man — for  he  lies,  too !" 
And  some  do  say  that  it  was  a  bad  pale-face  who  first 
taught  the  aborigines  to  lie.  But  I  am  one  of  those 
who  believe  that  the  art  of  lying  has  been  known  to 
every  nation  and  tribe  of  men  from  innocent  Adam 
down  to  the  Avily  politicians  of  the  present  day. 

In  our  "  Indian  aifairs "  there  has  been  not  only  a 
great  deal  of  lying,  but  an  enormous  amount  of  cheat- 
ing— all  of  which  stands  recorded  upon  the  white  man's 
page  of  the  "  treaty "  ledger.  It  has  been  a  continual 
repetition  of  "the  turkey  and  the  crow,"  in  which 
game  the  domestic  fowl  invariably  falls  to  the  white 


IS   THERE    SUCH    A   MAN?  249 

man's  lot.  The  Indian  is  sure  to  get  the  crow ;  or,  as 
it  might  accidentally  happen — nothing  at  all !  "  Fair 
play  "  is  too  precious  for  the  aborigine. 

Our  indulgent  "Uncle  Samuel" — the  red  man's  Great 
Father — is  cheated  by  his  agents  to  the  tune  of  millions, 
over  and  above  what  has  been  stipulated  for  by  his 
copper-colored  children,  while  they  do  not  receive  half 
their  just  dues.  And.  yet  the  Public  seem  not  to  know 
what  becomes  of  the  money.  Nevertheless,  I  might 
here  describe  several  "  lots,  tracts  and  parcels  "  of  very 
valuable  property  now  in  the  possession  of  those  who 
have  enriched  themselves  at  the  expense  of  honor  and 
humanity  as  men,  by  defrauding  the  Government  and 
robbing  the  poor  Indian  ! 

Who  instigated  the  great  Indian  massacre  of  Au- 
gust, 1862  ?  Is  there  a  man  now  living  in  luxury  who 
indirectly  or  directly  sacrificed  the  lives  of  several  thou- 
sand fellow  beings,  and  destroyed  millions  of  property, 
to  amass  a  fortune  for  himself?  If  such  a  man  is  living, 
hoAv  does  he  feel  ?  He  may  reside  in  a  fine  house, 
and  have  about  him  all  the  creature-comforts  of  life ! 
But  possibly  remorse  is  deepening  the  lines  of  reflec- 
tion in  his  face !  And,  though  he  can  feast  on  savory 
viands  and  drink  costly  champagne — in  his  slumber,  at 
times,  there  must  be  a  chaos  of  bleeding  victims  and  in- 
carnate fiends ! 

Well  might  Bishop  Whipple,  in  his  "  Appeal  for  the 
Red  Man,"  tell  the  President  of  the  United  States  that 
there  was  something  wrong  in  the  administration  of 
Government  affairs  on  the  North- western  fron  tier.  I  say 
frontier,  because  there  will  continue  to  be  a  "  sanguinary 
line  of  demarkation"  between  the  limits  of  our  pur- 
chased lands  and  the  territory  of  the  aborigine  so  long 
as  he  has  a  single  acre  left  to  dispose  of  and  the  "  har- 
11* 


THE    RED   MAX'S    WRONGS.  251 

pies  of  favored  position  "  are  permitted  to  enrich  them- 
selves by  an  organized  system  of  robbery,  both  dis- 
graceful to  the  nation  and  shamefully  instigative  of 
every  crime  against  the  laws  of  God  !  For,  not  content 
with  "  arithmetical  frauds,"  those  who  have  the  oppor- 
tunity by  right  (or  by  wrong)  to  honorably  represent 
the  Government  and  faithfully  serve  the  savage,  ingen- 
iously and  deliberately  compel  the  industrious  and  vir- 
tuous to  liquidate  the  obligations  of  the  indolent  and 
depraved.  School  money  is  squandered  and  other  ap- 
propriations misapplied  to  aggrandize  individual  gains. 
The  reverend  Bishop  accuses  white  men  of  teaching  the 
Sioux  and  the  Chippeways  that  adultery  is  no  sin  and 
theft  no  crime !  He  even  intimates  that  some  go  so  far 
as  to  rob  the  Sioux  of  their  cash  by  selling  them  the 
poison  which  I  have  described  in  a  preceding  chapter, 
purposely  to  destroy  their  lives,  and  then  forge  certifi- 
cates whereby  they  are  empowered  to  draw  and  crimi- 
nally appropriate  annuity  money  in  the  name  of  the 
dead  !  And  he  further  declares  that  every  dollar  which 
the  Government  or  the  Indian  is  thus  defrauded  of  must 
inevitably  be  atoned  for  by  ten  times  as  much  in  the 
cost  of  war  or  indemnities  for  future  outrages  arising 
therefrom.  Among  other  conclusive  arguments  in  his 
appeal,  is  a  suggestive  allusion  to  the  significant  clause 
in  an  advertisement  for  "  Indian  supplies "  during  the 
autumn  of  the  great  massacre,  which  required  two  hund- 
red and  fifty  dozen  scalping  and  butcher  knives  !  But 
such  matters  are  too  interminable  for  me  to  effectually 
dispose  of  in  a  volume  like  this. 

Just  as  Lady  Levasseur  was  about  to  start  for  Denton 
Farm,  a  horseman  came  dashing  into  St.  Paul  with 
news  of  the  massacre  then  begun  !  In  an  hour's  time 
every  person  in  the  city  was  aghast !  Another  horse- 


252  HORRORS   UNTOLD ! 

man  caine — and  then  a  man  on  foot.  More  followed, 
increasing  in  numbers — and  each  with  a  narrative  of 
fresh  horrors  from  Redwood  Ferry,  New  Ulm,  Fort 
Ilidgely,  and  elsewhere !  Such  horrors  as  were  never 
heard  of  before — and  I  dare  not  record  the  worst  of 
them  here.  The  details  would  be  unfit  for  type  ! 

A  wife  and  mother  had  her  head  split  open  while  she 
was  making  bread,  and  the  fiend  who  did  it  also  roast- 
ed her  child  in  the  ready  heated  oven !  Other  children 
were  nailed  to  doors,  and  knives  and  tomahawks  pitched 
at  them  until  they  expired  with  fright  and  pain !  Moth- 
ers were  disemboweled,  and  whole  families  burned 
alive  !  Eyes  were  gouged  out,  and  tongues  torn  from 
their  roots.  In  some  instances  every  member  of  a  vic- 
tim's body  was  torn  from  its  place!  There  was  no 
mercy  for  infancy  or  age,  and  no  heed  to  prayers  or 
tears ! 

Naked  savages,  disfigured  with  paint,  and  yelling  in 
merriment  or  howling  with  fury,  murdered  and  plun- 
dered the  settlers,  and  destroyed  whatever  property 
and  produce  they  could  reach !  The  old  Inquisition 
never  devised  such  heinous  methods  of  excruciating 
torture !  Each  savage  vied  with  his  comrades  to  add  a 
new  element  of  atrocity  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  next  vic- 
tim !  Mothers  and  daughters  were  taken  into  captivity 
worse  than  death — unless  their  resistance  terminated 
their  lives  upon  the  spot !  The  fields  were  strewn  with 
cattle  and  other  domestic  animals,  their  limbs  broken 
or  their  bodies  gashed,  bellowing,  shrieking,  and  writh- 
ing in  terrible  agony !  Pieces  were  cut  out  of  living 
animals  and  men  !  Parts  of  the  body  chopped  off,  or  a 
limb  torn  asunder,  and  the  sufferer  driven  out  upon  the 
prairies,  or  into  corners  and  holes,  to  die  a  lingering 
death !  Pools  of  blood  and  destruction  everywhere ! 


THE  "ANGEL  HEART!"  253 

The  alarm  spread  and  the  panic  grew.  Settlers  fled 
from  their  homes ;  and  one  man  sold  his  farm  which  cost 
him  six  thousand  dollars,  for  only  sixty-two  dollars  and 
a  quarter — -just  enough  to  carry  his  family  down  to 
Fort  Snelling !  Hundreds  and,  I  presume,  thousands 
of  men,  women  and  children  arrived  in  St.  Paul  without 
a  penny  in  their  pockets  and  famishing  for  food  !  Some 
were  but  partly  clad,  and  many  were  mutilated  with 
serious  wounds.  The  houses  and  the  streets  were 
swarming  with  the  impoverished  fugitives,  who  had  lost 
everything  that  they  so  recently  possessed ! 

St.  Paul  became  an  immense  refuge  hospital !  Some 
of  the  citizens  were  so  much  alarmed  about  their  own 
safety,  while  the  foe  was  at  least  a  hundred  miles  away, 
that  they  foolishly  sold  valuable  property  at  any  price 
which  the  more  courageous  would  give ! 

Lady  Levasseur's  purse  was  quickly  emptied  in  her 
contributions  to  the  panic-stricken  and  famished  refugees. 
But  she  could  refill  it  at  will.  The  bankers  were  all 
ready  to  advance  her  any  amount  in  cash ;  and  doubt- 
less these  allusions  will  be  appreciated  by  many  a  Min- 
nesotian"whose  heart  is  full  of  gratitude  when  memory 
calls  up  the  past!  Surely  they  have  not  forgotten 
"  The  Lady  of  the  Angel  Heart !"  as  they  called  her  then ! 

"  Had  any  one  seen  Farmer  Denton  ?" 

Lady  Levasseur  repeated  that  question  again  and 
again  every  day.  She  felt  concerned  about  him.  His 
new  home  was  near  the  scene  of  carnage,  and  she  feared 
that  his  interesting  daughters  were  among  the  captives 
and  himself  among  the  slain  ! 

"No,  ma'am!"  was  the  inevitably  cold  response  from 
every  one  in  turn.  It  seemed  cold  to  her  ear,  because 
she  was  so  deeply  interested  in  the  good,  honest  man 
and  his  motherless  girls. 


254  A.  COLD  RESPONSE! 

"  And  Goliah,  too  ?"  interposed  Fleurette,  when  they 
were  surmising  the  probable  fate  of  the  Dentons.  "  Per- 
haps he  has  been  butchered  by  those  uncivilized  and 
savage  men." 

Then  Sancho  conceived  an  idea.  He  said,  "  Some  dose 
yar  brave  men  mought  go  an  fine  massa  Denton,  an 
his  dart'rs.  Speck  dey'd  fotch  em  in  mi-tee  quick  time, 
ef  missus  wus  to  gib  urn  lots  ob  mun'y !" 

But,  though  Lady  Levasseur  did  act  upon  Sancho's 
suggestion,  no  one  seemed  willing  to  venture  among  the 
Indians,  either  for  humanity  sake,  or  pecuniary  reward ! 

Fleurette  said  that  if  she  were  only  a  man,  she  would 
make  some  personal  effort  to  find  Mr.  Denton  and  the 
girls — and  Goliah,  too. 

Lady  Levasseur  continued  to  furnish  means  for  the 
relief  of  the  impoverished  fugitives  who  were  almost 
hourly  arriving  in  St.  Paul.  And,  while  dispensing  pe- 
cuniary aid  with  a  liberal  hand,  she  eagerly  and  per- 
sistently inquired  for  Farmer  Denton  and  his  daughters ; 
but  could  get  no  intelligence  of  them.  Finally  another 
party  arrived  from  the  vicinity  of  Xew  Ulm,  and  Sancho 
was  dispatched  to  make  inquiry  again.  The  old  negro 
soon  returned  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  perambulate,  and 
breathlessly  exclaiming : 

"  Massa  Denton  dart'rs  am  kum.  Dey'll  be  yar  at  de 
otel  right  away  bime'by  dreckly,  soon's  dey  kan !" 

And  in  a  few  minutes,  sure  enough,  Mercy,  Eliza, 
Julia  and  Jane  were  in  the  hotel  apartments  of  Lady 
Levasseur!  A  confusion  of  words  and  kisses,  in  the 
mutual  gladness  of  greeting — and : 

"  Where's  your  father  ?" 

For  a  moment  there  was  no  answer.  And  then,  amid 
sobs  and  tears,  only  Jane  could  reply : 

"The  Indians  have  killed  him  !     O,  dear !     They  sud- 


THE   TERRIBLE   NEWS  !  255 

denly  sprang  up  out  of  the  grass,  and  murdered  him 
while  he  was  reading  to  us  from  the  Bible.  And  they 
hurried  us  off  before  we  could  realize  wrhat  had  hap- 
pened !" 

"  Oh,  that's  terrible  news !"  sighed  Lady  Levasseur. 
"  Your  father  was  too  good  a  man  to  die  thus !  Poor, 
dear  girls !  Alas,  you  have  no  father  or  mother  left  to 
guide  and  to  love  you  now  !  But  I  will  be  your  mother. 
Corne  to  my  arms.  And  may  God  assist  me  in  what 
I  do?' 

Fleurette  wanted  to  ask  one  little  question ;  but  her 
emotion  choked  the  words  back.  Presently  she  mur- 
mured :  "  Where  is  Goliah  ?" 

Mercy  replied,  with  a  fresh  flood  of  tears,  that  Goliah 
flew  at  the  savages  to  save  their  father.  She  thought 
he  killed  one  of  them ;  and  then  the  others  chopped  him 
to  pieces  with  their  tomahawks  and  knives ! 

"  It  was  perfectly  heart-rending !"  sobbed  Eliza. 
"Neighbor  Lawrence's  house  was  already  in  flames; 
and  the  Indians  instantly  dragged  us  away.  But  we 
could  hear  Goliah  piteously  howling  and  crying  in  the 
agony  of  death  !  And  then  we  also  saw  our  own  house 
and  the  out-buildings  all  on  fire !" 

"Oh,  what  shall  we  do,  now  that  dear  father  is 
dead  ?"  cried  Julia,  weeping  aloud ! 


THE  ESTLICK  FAMILT.    (The  Father  -was  killed  during 
the  Great  Massacre ;  and  -while  the  Mother  -wao  a 
captive  among  the  Indians,  her  eldest  Boy  heroic- 
ally preserved  the  life  of  his  Baby -Brother.) 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


THE  origin  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can aborigine  is  one  of  those  mys- 
__  . ..^  .     teries  which  lie  entirely  beyond 
-^  .'\$8ii&.  the  reach  of  my  comprehension. 

And  men  of  science  will  ever  puz- 
zle their  brains  and  use  their  pens 
all  to  little  purpose  in  establishing 
a  satisfactory  theory  to  answer 
the  question  of  "  wrhere  he  came 
from  ?" 

The  Asiatic  tribes  of  Guebres 
and  Tibetians,  the  Japanese  and  the  Chinese,  have  wor- 
shiped the  sun  as  their  greatest  divinity,  the  same  as  our 
Indians.  Here  in  Minnesota,  the  Kitcchi-manitou  of  the 
Chippeways  and  the  Taka-wakan  of  the  Sioux,  signify 
both  the  Great  Spirit  and  the  Sun.  But  I  have  not 
distinctly  ascertained  whether  they  look  up  at  the  orb 
of  day  as  only  an  emblem  of  their  Deity,  or  the  God- 
head itself. 

If  their  traditions  are  reliable,  in  the  absence  of  any 
tangible  record  of  genealogy,  then  they  may  be  consid- 


258  TRADITION    OF   THE    FLOOD. 

ered  at  least  antediluvian,  if  not  pre-Aclamito  in  origin. 
This  I  adduce  from  the  persistent  declaration  of  those 
venerable  chiefs  who  believe  that  "  when  a  far-off  part 
of  the  world  was  depopulated  by  a  great  flood,  their 
race  were  all  spared ;  that  while  the  wicked  inhabitants 
of  another  land  perished  entirely,  they  beheld  the  sun 
rise  every  morning  from  the  surface  of  those  waters  in 
which  the  unrighteous  were  destroyed  forever."  And 
inasmuch  as  we  are  informed  by  Holy  Writ  that  God 
gave  Noah  only  three  sons  to  ivpopulate  Europe,  Asia 
and  Africa,  I  am  pardonable  for  presuming  that  Ameri- 
ca was  not  totally  submerged  in  the  execution  of  Divine 
wrath !  But  I  do  not  intend  to  follow  up  this  theme  in 
the  present  connection. 

Both  the  Chippeways  and  the  Sioux  are  extremely  in- 
subordinate by  nature,  or  at  least  in  accordance  with 
popular  custom.  They  are  fond  of  living  in  a  manner 
and  at  the  place  most  agreeable  to  their  individual 
tastes.  And  in  the  matter  of  authority,  they  seem  to 
acknowledge  none !  Their  chiefs  are  so  only  in  name — 
and  impeachment  by  unceremonious  acclamation  has 
been  known.  But  generally  those  dignitaries  retain 
their  title  and  position  unto  the  end  of  their  lives, 
whether  impeached  or  not.  The  policy  of  Tah-o-ah-ta- 
doo-ta,  at  the  inauguration  of  the  great  massacre  of '62, 
may  be  referred  to  as  a  deplorable  example  of  the  lim- 
ited power  exercised  by  a  noted  chief. 

The  father  of  a  family  is  absolute  monarch  in  his  own 
teepee,  unless  more  than  one  family  occupy  the  same 
lodge ;  and  then  the  oldest  man  is  ruler  over  all.  Sons 
have  neither  love  nor  respect  for  their  fathers,  and 
fathers  manifest  very  little  affection  for  their  children. 
They  sometimes  hold  councils,  but  such  a  mess  of  hier- 
archy seldom  terminates  in  any  definite  organization  or 


AVENGING    WRONGS.  259 

satisfactory  understanding.  As  their  property  generally 
consists  of  only  what  the  squaws  can  carry  from  one 
encampment  to  another,  the  enactment  of  a  defined 
code  of  protective  or  distributive  laws  would  be  entire- 
ly useless.  Public  officers  are  not  required  when  each 
man  is  permitted  to  be  his  own  executioner  of  the  assas- 
sin or  other  criminal  who  commits  any  offense  against 
himself  or  his  family.  And,  strange  to  say,  this  method 
of  vengeance  is  not  visited  with  retaliation.  The  offend- 
er is  prepared  to  die,  and  usually  makes  no  attempt  to 
resist  or  escape.  In  this  species  of  cruelty,  an  Indian 
can  surpass  a  Xero,  Maximin,  or  Caligula,  when  his 
ferocity  is  fully  aroused ;  and  even  his  squaw  and 
papooses  may  be  participants  with  him  in  every  species 
of  physical  torture  inflicted  upon  the  writhing  victim. 
And  victims  have  been  known  to  purposely  exasperate 
their  executioners  to  greater  cruelty  still. 

Achilles  sacrificed  prisoners  of  war  to  Patrocles,  and 
the  Mexicans  to  their  idol  deities,  just  as  the  Minnesota 
Indians  do  to  the  manitous  and  wakans  of  war.  They 
pay  great  deference  to  their  infernal  gods.  And  they 
make  no  distinction  between  the  sexes,  or  the  very  old 
and  the  very  young.  If  a  male  prisoner  is  spared  in 
battle,  they  bestow  him  upon  one  of  their  women  who 
may  have  lost  her  master  in  the  conflict.  But  then  if 
he  does  not  suit  her  fancy,  she  forthwith  sacrifices  him 
to  the  manes  of  her  departed  husband ! 

Instead  of  a  "  wake,"  with  copious  potations  of  whis- 
ky, in  the  Hibernian  custom,  over  the  fresh  corpse  of 
the  dead,  an  Indian  will  have  a  grand  howl,  and  a  huge 
feast  of  dog  meat  prepared  for  the  mourners  and  sur- 
viving friends.  And  then  tue  corpse  is  retained  for 
ceremonial  attentions,  in  some  particulars  similar  to  the 
ancient  practice  of  the  Egyptians,  the  Greeks,  the  Ro- 


260  FUNERALS   AND   WEDDINGS. 

mans,  the  Christians  at  the  time  of  Tertullian,  and  also 
of  certain  kings,  popes  and  cardinals,  and  the  Arabs 
and  the  Chinese  of  modern  times.  The  corpse  is  subse- 
quently placed  upon  a  scaffold  some  eight  or  ten  feet 
from  the  ground,  where  it  remains  until  the  flesh  has 
either  dried  up  or  fallen  from  the  bones,  and  then  the 
hideous  remains  are  deposited  in  the  ground,  with  the 
face  always  toward  the  East,  and  stakes  or  stones  fixed 
around  the  spot  to  protect  it  from  beasts  of  prey. 

In  lacerating  their  flesh  with  sharp  fragments  of 
stone,  to  increase  the  frenzy  of  their  howling  grief, 
they  show  considerable  skill  in  anatomy,  always  select- 
ing such  parts  as  are  guarded  by  integuments  of 
strength.  And  after  all,  the  violent  contortions  per- 
formed by  them  when  death  takes  away  one  of  their 
companions,  are  but  a  formal  demonstration  scarcely 
more  absurd  than  a  -cortege  of  empty  carriages  behind 
the  sable-plumed  hearse  and  blanketed  horses  carrying 
a  defunct  citizen  of  Xew  York  to  his  little  home  in  a 
fashionable  cemetery. 

The  marriage  ceremony  of  these  untutored  people  is 
in  some  instances  similar  to  that  of  the  ancient  Romans. 
But  the  affianced  squaw  does  not  have  the  flammeun 
worn  by  the  brides  of  Rome  on  their  marriage-day.  I 
have  had  several  unsatisfactory  descriptions  of  their 
nuptial  rites,  from  all  of  which  it  is  only  possible  to 
infer  that  mati'imony  among  them  is  simply  a  compact 
of  utility  and  convenience,  with  as  little  formality  as 
the  Greeks  practiced  in  their  marriages  per  usum.  Here 
the  patria  potestas  would  be  a  dead  letter. 

Their  connubial  relationship  seems  to  be  quite  as 
prodigal  as  that  of  the  Saints  in  Utah,  and  even  more 
extravagant  in  the  promptings  of  hospitality.  For  ex- 
ample, when  the  first  negro  appeared  among  the  Sioux 


,    MAEKIAGE    RELATIONS.  261 

he  was  requested  to  affiliate  with  their  marriageable 
young  squaws.  They  believed  him  to  be  a  devil,  but 
fancied  that  if  they  could  have  his  posterity  in  their 
midst  the  other  devils  would  fraternize  with  them,  and 
in  that  event  a  peace  might  be  concluded  with  the 
spirits  of  evil. 

Some  extremely  philogistical  Dakotas  deem  it  a  justly 
natural  privilege  to  have  as  many  wives  as  they  please. 
Also,  in  accordance  with  the  suggestions  of  St.  Augus- 
tin,  Diderot  and  Helvetius,  socially  inclined  husbands 
mutually  accommodate  each  other  by  loaning  their 
wives ! 

Abstemious  Bedouins  consider  one  wife  sufficient  for 
a  family,  and  occasionally  a  Dakota  entertains  the  same 
notion ;  in  which  case  the  unfortunate  female  is  retained 
as  a  creature  in  bondage,  with  a  harder  lot  than  any 
female  domestic  ever  experienced  in  ancient  Briton. 

Where  affection  does  not  exist,  jealousy  will  not 
come ;  and  in  such  a  case,  promiscuous  cohabitation  is 
attended  with  very  little  dissension.  I  have  been  told 
that  the  Sioux  are  jealous  of  their  wives ;  but  possibly 
they  may  unconsciously  appreciate  the  wise  principle  of 
Monsieur  de  Montespan — which  was  to  feign  virtue  for 
the  purpose  of  better  pay !  Their  divorce  custom  is 
equally  as  liberal,  and  even  more  convenient,  than  simi- 
lar usages  permitted  by  law  among  civilized  nations, 
with  the  arbitrary  exception  of  allowing  the  male 
savage  all  the  elective  rights  and  privileges  of  sepa- 
ration. 

When  a  "  big  Injun  "  wishes  to  get  rid  of  his  squaw 
he  puts  her  away  with  no  less  compunctions  of  con- 
science than  that  exhibited  among  the  ancients  men- 
tioned in  this  connection  in  the  Bible.  But  the  Justin- 
ian code  governs  a  disposition  of  their  children,  and  con- 


262  DEGRADATION    OF   WOME3T. 

signs  them  to  the  care  and  responsibility  of  the  mother, 
whose  consanguinity  is  less  doubted  than  that  nomi- 
nally claimed  by  the  ostensible  sire ! 

During  their  youth,  the  forms  of  the  women  are  at- 
tractive. But,  like  summer  flowers,  they  soon  fade.  In 
the  life  of  a  squaw,  evening  succeeds  morning  without 
any  interval  of  noon  !  However,  she  is  generally  appro- 
priated at  an  early  age  by  some  individual  of  the  oppo- 
site sex.  But  if  she  and  her  husband  live  ever  so  near 
her  parents,  he  must  not  mention  their  names  nor  look 
them  in  the  face.  Sometimes  the  young  couple  occupy 
a  part  of  the  paternal  teepee,  and  the  same  etiquette  is 
observable  even  then.  Other  couples  live  in  a  large 
teepee,  and  the  husband  provides  the  parents-in-law  with 
food  for  their  smaller  abode  in  the  rear.  I  fancy  civil- 
ized sons-in-law  would  demur  at  arrangements  of  this 
kind ! 

Some  prejudices  of  the  Indian  mind  are  inherent.  At 
least  it  is  impossible  to  trace  out  their  oiigin.  Regard- 
ing the  degradation  of  menial  employment,  there  is  but 
one  feeling  among  the  women  as  well  as  among  the 
men.  The  war-path  and  the  hunting-ground  are  the 
only  places  where  the  man  deigns  to  exercise  his  limbs 
in  the  execution  of  laborious  duty.  He  will  scarcely 
paddle  his  own  canoe,  if  accompanied  by  a  squaw. 
And  all  the  drudgery  devolves  upon  her,  as  a  matter  of 
course. 

"When  a  party  of  Dakotas  play  shinney,  a  favorite 
game  of  ball,  they  expect  that  their  squaws  will  run 
and  bring  it  out  of  the  water,  the  ravine  or  the  rocks 
up  the  hill,  whither  it  may  chance  to  fly  from  the  pro- 
pulsion of  a  random  blow.  And  the  squaws  dart  after 
the  truant  ball  with  impetuous  alacrity  and  the  light- 
ning speed  of  bounding  deer,  while  their  masters  impa- 


IN   THE   TEEPEES !  263 

tiently  wait  their  quick  return.  And  although  denied 
any  interest  in  the  game,  the  squaws'  concern  for  the 
success  at  issue,  is  generally  as  enthusiastic,  if  not  more 
intense,  than  that  of  the  players  themselves.  And 
without  permission  to  join  in  the  orgies  of  incantation, 
or  grotesque  dances  of  joy,  they  arc  required  to  con- 
tribute the  most  hideous  screams  and  howls  whenever 
the  demon  choruses  come  in. 

At  home — if  it  can  be  said  that  they  have  such  a 
place,  wandering  as  they  are  prone  to,  every  few  moons, 
from  one  locality  to  another,  either  to  gratify  a  naturally 
roving  propensity,  or  in  quest  of  a  greater  abundance 
of  game ;  or,  as  it  not  unfrequently  occurs,  to  escape 
the  encroachment  of  a  hostile  neighbor,  the  squaws 
voluntarily  perform  all  the  labor  requisite  for  transpor- 
tation, boarding  and  lodging  their  families.  This  they 
do  as  much  for  their  sons  as  for  the  lords  of  the  teepees, 
because  they  will  not  permit  the  male  sex  to  suffer  the 
degradation  of  performing  domestic  chores. 

To  a  civilized  woman,  the  task  of  cooking,  washing, 
ironing,  mending,  and  cutting  firewood  for  the  kitchen, 
sitting-room  and  parlor,  may  seem  a  prodigious  and 
never-ending  toil.  But  when  she  makes  a  definite  esti- 
mation of  the  entire  routine  of  the  responsibilities  and 
cares  of  a  squalid  teepee,  their  number  will  dwindle 
down  to  a  mere  trifle  in  comparison  with  the  household 
necessities  of  a  well-regulated  abode,  where  industry 
and  frugality  dwell. 

The  teepee  of  a  Dakota  is  merely  a  colossal  chicken- 
coop,  erected  in  half  an  hour  by  placing  several  long 
poles  together  and  wrapping  around  them  a  covering 
of  thin  pliant  bark  or  well-dried  skins,  with  an  opening 
left  at  the  apex  for  the  smoke  to  escape,  and  another  at 
the  bottom  for  a  passage-way  in  and  out.  Buffalo  hides 


264  SOCIAL   CUSTOMS. 

serve  for  a  couch,  upon  which  half  a  dozen  of  both 
sexes  can  recline  for  nocturnal  repose.  In  the  centre,  a 
slight  excavation  answers  for  fire-place  and  kitchen. 

Bed-time  has  never  been  definitely  agreed  upon  by 
them.  They  are  as  often  sleeping  by  day  as  at  night — 
for  they  rest  when  they  feel  like  it.  But  if  they  sleep 
in  the  day-time,  they  prowl  around  during  the  night. 

Furniture,  such  as  tables  and  chairs,  are  not  required  ; 
though  every  young  savage  of  the  masculine  gender 
desires  a  small  pocket-mirror  for  the  study  of  his  facial 
beauty  and  to  facilitate  an  artistic  application  of 
smut  or  paint  when  perfecting  his  toilet  on  grand  occa- 
sions. 

Indian  "  fops  "  are  frequently  met  with.  And,  totally 
regardless  of  all  expense,  some  of  them  pi-esent  the  most 
excruciating  tout  ensemble  that  I  ever  beheld.  But  I  am 
provoked  when  they  refuse  pennission  for  their  sisters  to 
look  at  themselves  in  a  mirror.  The  mean  scamps  tell 
the  juvenile  Hiawathas  that  it  is  a  punishable  crime  for 
them  to  see  their  own  faces.  Fancy  what  a  time  we 
should  have  here  in  New  York,  if  our  fair  companions 
were  debarred  the  convenience  and  the  comfort  of  mir- 
rors large  enough  to  reflect  their  entire  physiques  at  a 
glance ! 

A  single  iron  pot,  or,  when  that  cannot  be  had,  a 
stout  earthen  jar,  will  suffice  for  all  the  culinary  require- 
ments, and  also  for  personal  ablutions  or  the  appmte- 
nances  of  a  laundry.  After  the  filthy  little  papoose  has 
been  washed  or  sloshed  in  the  pot,  a  dirty  haunch  of 
venison  is  stuffed  into  the  same  utensil  and  boiled  for 
soup — which  will  be  greedily  devoured  the  moment  it 
comes  from  the  fire. 

The  Chippeway  women  are  much  better  looking  than 
the  Sioux,  and  some  of  them  are  quite  pretty.  Their 


IMMORTALITY   OF  THE   SOUL!  265 

forms  are  well  proportioned,  and  their  flesh  quite  solid. 
But  their  complexion  is  paler  than  that  of  the  Sioux, 
while  their  mouths  and  teeth  are  almost  beautiful. 

The  Chippeway  women  hate  the  Sioux  more  bitterly 
than  the  men,  because  they  and  their  children  are  made 
to  suffer  so  much  from  the  revengeful  atrocities  of  the 
perpetual  war  between  the  two  nations.  They  have 
been  known  to  meet  death  rather  than  escape  without 
their  offspring.  Sometimes  the  men  permit  them  to 
dance  by  themselves — but  the  two  sexes  never  do  so 
together.  As  with  the  Sioux,  the  woman  is  too  far  be- 
neath the  man,  in  his  and  in  her  opinion,  to  be  allowed 
such  a  privilege. 

A  contempt  for  woman,  which  is  so  characteristic 
of  all  unfeeling  men,  whether  pale-faces  or  red-skins, 
must  naturally  retard  civilization,  by  perpetuating  the 
ferocity  of  brutal  malignity  and  passion.  Indeed,  any 
man,  in  or  out  of  the  Christian  faith,  who  has  no  sensi- 
bility of  moral  attachment  for  that  being  whom  God 
has  fitted  to  participate  in  his  consolations  and  difficul- 
ties, in  his  smiles  and  tears,  is  worse  than  many  brutes 
devoid  of  a  soul.  Whenever  there  is  a  gentle  feeling 
in  man,  he  will  surely  sympathize  with  the  sex  whose 
natural  grace  and  love  enable  him  to  live  again  in  the 
propagation  of  his  race ! 

If  these  savages  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  the  language  of  their  conscience  would  not  permit 
them,  in  the  last  moments  of  their  life,  to  exact  a  prom- 
ise from  their  children  to  kill  their  enemies,  as  they 
have  done;  and,  like  them,  never  forgive  those  who 
have  injured  them  in  any  way.  This  they  frequently 
do,  if  they  have  the  opportunity  and  the  power  of  ver- 
bal expression.  Nevertheless,  a  dying  Indian  expects 
to  go  somewhere.  And  he  may  require  that  his  faithful 
12 


MOUNTED  FOR  THE  CHASE.  267 

dog  shall  accompany  him  in  death.  For  if  he  believes 
in  the  immortality  of  his  own  soul,  he  also  considers  his 
dog  equally  immortal.  Or,  having  no  faithful  dog,  he 
may  order  that  his  wife  shall  go  with  him.  And,  like 
the  women  of  Malabar,  she  is  obliged  to  comply.  The 
dying  warrior  dwells  with  enthusiasm  upon  the  past, 
leaving  his  survivors  to  think  of  the  future. 

Next  to  women,  dogs  are  the  most  unhappy  creatures 
about  an  Indian  teepee.  The  wretched  canines  are  not 
only  half  starved,  but  worked  very  hard,  chasing  game 
or  drawing  sledges  or  trucks,  until  they  eventually  end 
their  days  in  the  shape  of  a  "thanksgiving"  dinner  for 
the  master  and  his  friends.  A  dog  is  immolated  and 
quickly  smoking  on  the  altar  of  hospitality  when  a  very 
distinguished  visitor  is  expected  to  arrive.  But  the 
unhappy  quadruped  is  supposed  to  be  a  sacrifice  to  the 
manitous  or  wakans,  and  the  eating  of  it  considered  an 
act  of  devotion  which  a  guest  must  not  refuse,  let  his 
abhorrence  of  the  dish  be  ever  so  great. 

Every  teepee  has  its  dog ;  and  some  teepees  ten  to 
fifteen.  They  are  generally  treated  with  some  manifes- 
tations of  affection ;  but  canine  flesh  is  a  tempting  deli- 
cacy, from  which  they  can  not  abstain  when  their 
prodigal  hospitality  or  the  pangs  of  hunger  demand  a 
sacrifice  of  the  confiding  and  faithful  creatures. 

Buffalo  hunting  is  the  chief  occupation  of  an  Indian 
when  not  on  the  war-path.  And  if  he  is  well  mounted 
in  the  chase,  his  imposing  figure  as  an  equestrian  would 
not  be  a  contemptible  contrast  with  the  proud  statue  of 
Marcus  Aurelius  or  that  of  the  great  Numidian  king. 
Himself,  his  horse,  and  the  game,  would  form  a  group 
worthy  of  the  pencil  of  Raphael  or  the  chisel  of  Canova. 

Wolves  are  also  measurably  dependent  upon  buffalo 
flesh  for  food.  But  they  are  not  always  sufficiently 


268  CUNNIXG    OF   WOLVES. 

strong  to  capture  an  animal.  They,  therefore,  follow 
the  hunters  whenever  practicable,  and,  with  the  aid  of 
their  own  cunning,  avail  themselves  of  any  advantage 
which  may  arise.  Sometimes  they  join  in  the  general 
charge  upon  a  great  herd;  and  when  the  females  are 
occupied  in  making  their  own  escape,  each  wolf  seizes  a 
calf,  and,  strangling  it,  carries  the  body  hence  to  have  a 
hearty  feast. 

Sometimes,  when  very  hungry  and  no  hunters  are 
near,  the  wolves  approach  five  or  six  of  a  herd,  without 
appearing  to  have  any  design.  And,  not  condescending 
to  be  afraid,  the  buifaloes  neither  avoid  nor  attack  them 
until  they  have  singled  out  their  victim,  which  is  inva- 
riably a  female — that  sex  being  fatter  and  more  deli- 
cious than  the  males.  Two  of  the  wolves  engage  her 
attention  in  front  by  pretending  to  play  with  her,  while 
one  of  the  strongest  and  most  active  seizes  her  in  the 
rear;  and  when  she  turns  to  drive  him  off,  those  in 
front  fly  at  her  throat  and  strangle  her  to  death.  This 
is  only  in  keeping  with  their  natural  cunning. 

But  neither  the  Sioux  nor  the  Chippeway  is  always 
rich  enough  to  ride  a  horse  in  pursuit  of  the  buffalo. 
And  in  that  very  common  extremity  he  and  his  com- 
rades not  ^infrequently  play  the  part  of  wolves.  Know- 
ing that  buffaloes  are  not  frightened  by  the  proximity 
of  wolves,  they  wrap  themselves  in  wolf-skins,  and  thus 
disguised  it  is  possible  to  creep  near  the  grazing  animals 
upon  their  hands  and  knees,  and  silently  pierce  them  with 
sharp  arrows.  Guns  would  be  in  the  way.  Arrows  can 
be  concealed.  And  then  the  arrows  make  no  noise; 
which  enables  the  stealthy  hunters  to  multiply  the 
number  of  victims.  Each  hunter  makes  his  own  arrows 
and  puts  upon  them  his  private  mark,  so  that  when  the 
hunt  is  over  they  may  determine  who  were  the  most 


MAKING  A  MEAL!  269 

expert.  They  observe  the  same  rule  in  battle,  and 
thereby  the  greatest  warrior  is  known. 

Many  other  devices  are  successful  in  the  destruction 
of  buffaloes.  But,  as  most  animals  can  scent  a  human 
being  some  distance  off,  the  Indian  hunters  are  always 
careful  to  approach  their  game  against  the  wind.  They 
are  also  cautious  about  attacking  a  buffalo  while  asleep ; 
for  it  would  probably  rise  and  rush  upon  them.  And 
very  often  when  a  male  buffalo  sees  a  favorite  female 
companion  floundering  with  wounds,  he  will  endeavor 
to  facilitate  her  flight  by  combat ;  or  he  may  shield  her 
body  with  his  own  if  she  cannot  escape,  and  thus  die  at 
her  side,  like  a  heroic  lover. 

An  Indian  devours  like  a  wolf,  and  fasts  like  a  camel. 
And  I  have  heard  it  surmised  that  they  were  akin  to  the 
last-mentioned  animal,  in  the  faculty  of  rumination. 
Possibly  there  is  some  truth  in  that  suggestion,  inas- 
much as  they  are  not  at  all  particular  to  chew  their 
food  while  gorging  it  down.  One  famished  brave  was 
seen  to  swallow  the  entire  hind-quarter  of  a  deer  and 
the  water  in  which  it  was  boiled,  together  with  half  a 
peck  of  potatoes  and  a  good-sized  loaf  of  bread.  He 
loosened  his  belt  considerably,  and  then  smoked  his 
pipe — and  continued  to  exist  without  any  sign  of  over- 
feeding or  even  a  symptom  of  indigestion.  An  Indian 
with  a  good  appetite,  seldom  lies  down  to  sleep  while 
anything  eatable  remains  in  his  teepee.  And  a  guest 
will  insult  his  host  if  he  refuses  to  eat  all  that  is  placed 
before  him,  no  matter  if  it  should  be  a  whole  buffalo ! 

But  as  they  depend  solely  upon  the  precarious  suc- 
cess of  hunting,  and  the  wild  fruits,  vegetables  and  rice, 
gathered  only  in  small  quantities  by  the  squaws,  their 
diet  is  regulated  according  to  the  chances  of  the  hour. 
About  the  only  provision  made  by  a  man  for  to-morrow, 


270  DELICATE    ALLUSIONS. 

is  girding  his  waist  with  a  belt  which  may  be  tightened 
to  suit  an  unavoidable  depletion  of  his  bowels.  The 
longer  he  fasts,  the  tighter  he  draws  his  belt.  An  eco- 
nomical custom,  but  certainly  tantalizing  to  the  organs 
of  digestion.  In  the  spring,  they  easily  gather  eggs, 
and  then  capture  unfledged  ducks  and  geese  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

When  hard  pressed  by  hunger,  it  does  not  matter  if 
the  eggs  have  been  partly  hatched.  And  the  uncleaned 
entrails  of  a  duck  or  a  goose,  half  broiled  on  coals  of  fire, 
are  gobbled  down  with  a  gusto  that  may  set  my  readers 
yerking  from  imagination.  Indeed  the  dry,  osseous  re- 
mains of  animal  or  fowl  are  frequently  broken  into  frag- 
ments and  boiled  in  water,  which,  after  the  process  of 
maceration,  may  be  tolerably  nutritious  soupi 

It  is  not  an  unusual  sight  to  see  a  squaw  with  a  pon- 
derous load  of  eatables  tied  up  in  a  filthy  blanket  and 
swung  upon  her  back.  And,  peeping  out  at  the  top  of 
the  bundle,  occasionally  may  also  be  seen  the  black 
eyes  of  a  papoose,  the  nether  part  of  whose  body  is  rest- 
ing among  the  tobacco  and  whisky,  and  the  meat  and 
sugar. 

The  blanket  of  a  man  or  of  a  woman  is  used  for  every 
purpose  it  will  serve.  A  covering  at  one  time,  a  bed  at 
another ;  and,  with  the  accumulation  of  dirt  and  grease 
inevitable  from  six  months'  or  an  entire  year's  general 
utility,  it  becomes  a  textural  mass  which  might  tempt 
the  cupidity  of  a  city  "  soap-fat  man,"  if  chance  should 
throw  it  in  his  way.  I  am  told  that  in  the  maple-sugar 
season,  they  actually  strain  the  warm  syrup  through 
their  blankets  when  the  condition  of  those  articles  is 
sufficiently  porous  for  the  operation.  The  blankets  are 
subsequently  worn  without  washing,  or  any  manifest 
repugnance  by  the  wearers. 


USE  FOR  THEIR  HAXDS.  271 

And  this  inevitable  blanket,  more  than  any  other 
article  of  apparel,  is  illustrative  of  the  Indian  character. 
While  they  manage  it  with  a  dexterous  and  graceful 
simplicity  that  cannot  be  imitated  by  their  superiors  in 
refinement,  intelligence  and  skill,  its  influence  will  ever 
prove  the  most  formidable  barrier  to  the  approach  of 
civilization.  For  idle  hands,  it  answers  very  well.  But 
when  mechanical  tools,  or  the  implements  of  agriculture 
are  to  be  used,  only  a  single  pair  of  hands  can  not  keep 
the  blanket  in  place  and  perform  the  labor  of  an  artisan 
or  a  farmer. 

The  blanket  must  be  abandoned  by  the  red  man  be- 
fore he  even  begins  to  occupy  a  promising  position  in 
the  scale  of  industry,  which  is  the  only  reliable  evidence 
of  human  progress  and  substantial  prosperity.  But  an 
Indian  deprived  of  his  blanket  would  be  a  peacock 
despoiled  of  its  tail,  a  horse  shorn  of  its  mane,  a  politi- 
cal candidate  without  voters,  a  tree  stripped  of  foliage 
— in  short,  a  very  deplorable  object  in  his  own  estima- 
tion. Where  would  he  put  his  hands  ? 

I  can  not  refrain  from  laughing  at  the  imaginary  pic- 
ture of  an  ideal  Indian  forever  divested  of  his  traditional 
garment.  What  a  woful  expression  would  pervade  his 
usually  stolid  face  !  I  fancy  him  surveying  the  reflection 
of  his  figure  upon  the  pellucid  surface  of  the  nearest 
lake  or  stream ;  and  then  I  imagine  his  sepulchral 
grunt,  which  would  be  all  the  more  torturing  to  him 
and  delightful  to  me  if  a  live  Yankee's  tantalizing  grin 
should  present  itself  to  his  gaze,  side  by  side  with  the 
despondency  of  his  own.  An  aboriginal  savage  without 
his  blanket  would  be  a  fit  subject  for  the  practical  soli- 
citude of  those  philanthropic  humanitarians  who  mourn- 
fully ejaculate,  "Lo,  the  poor  Indian !" 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


FARMER  DENTON  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  New  Ulm,  a 
thriving  town  near  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Cottonwood  and 
the  Minnesota  Rivers,  and  in 
the  midst  of  a  very  charming 
and  remarkably  fertile  region 
of  country.  The  originators 
of  that  town  were  an  anti- 
sectarian  community  of  Ger- 
mans, who  strangely  stipulated 
among  themselves  and  with  all  new-comers.  They  bar- 
gained and  strictly  conditioned,  in  all  deeds  of  property, 
that  no  edifice  for  the  propagation  of  religious  creeds 
should  be  erected  in  the  place.  But  they  built  a  hall 
for  public  amusements,  smoked  their  pipes,  drank  their 
beer,  and  danced  for  recreation,  while  accumulating 
wealth  from  industry  in  the  usual  way. 

Denton  Farm  was  not  within  the  limits  of  the  Teu- 
tonic confederation,  but  their  customs  and  prejudices  dis- 
pleased him.     And  perhaps  he  would  have  sold  out  and 
12* 


274  THE    CAPTIVE    GIRL& 

moved  into  more  congenial  society  before  the  expiration 
of  another  year,  had  not  the  savages  undertaken  to 
totally  exterminate  every  pale-face  in  the  world.  A 
horde  of  them  unexpectedly  attacked  New  Ulm;  and, 
suddenly  slaughtering  many  of  the  male  inhabitants  in 
and  around  the  town,  they  set  fire  to  houses,  destroyed 
all  the  property  they  could,  and  made  captives  of  the 
women. 

Farmer  Denton  was  surprised  and  shot  down  without 
a  moment's  warning.  His  laborers  were  also  murdered 
at  the  same  time.  But  as  the  Indians  have  a  particular 
regard  for  dogs,  Goliah  might  have  escaped  their  toma- 
hawks and  knives,  if  he  had  not  furiously  assailed  and 
killed  one  of  them  in  defense  of  his  master.  Nor  did 
they  wish  to  assassinate  the  farmer's  youthful  daugh- 
ters, who  might  be  carried  oif  into  captivity  as  so  much 
available  merchandise — but  to  meet  with  far  less  con- 
sideration than  Oriental  slave-dealers  show  their  Circas- 
sian beauties. 

Yet,  fortunately  for  the  girls,  one  of  the  three  mur- 
derers detailed  by  the  gang  to  march  them  away  in 
bondage,  had  stolen  a  keg  full  of  whisky.  Indians  will 
generally  surrender  to  minne-wakan  when  every  other 
spirit  might  be  repelled  or  assaulted.  While  "there's 
whisky  in  the  jug,"  big  Injun  is  sure  to  want  some. 
They  drank  much  and  often ;  and  then  began  to  quarrel 
about  a  choice  of  their  fair  captives,  who  were  so  terribly 
frightened  that  they  trudged  along  as  mechanically  as 
a  flock  of  weary  and  exhausted  lambs  going  to  the 
abattoir. 

More  whisky  and  fiercer  contention,  until  one  of  the 
drunken  trio  refused  to  proceed  any  further.  He  would 
return  to  help  murder  the  big-knives,  and  find  a  white 
squaw  much  more  to  his  liking  than  either  of  those  four 


SAVED   BY    A    WHISKY-KEG  !  275 

— and  have  her  all  to  himself.  He  snatched  a  parting 
dram,  and  then  reeled  out  of  sight. 

The  whisky-keg  was  not  yet  entirely  emptied.  But 
the  two  remaining  savages  would  soon  swallow  the  last 
drop. 

"  Oh,  how  tipsy  they  are !"  whispered  Jane.  "  They'll 
kill  us,  after  a  while !" 

"  No !"  replied  Mercy.  "  When  they  get  a  little 
more  we  can  easily  run  away !" 

Mercy  conjectured  rightly.  Before  sundown  they 
both  rolled  in  the  dust,  with  mouthing  exhortations  for 
their  captives  to  remain  precisely  where  they  stood. 

"  Now  for  it !"  murmured  Eliza,  who  perfectly  coin- 
cided with  Mercy's  suggestion.  "  They  can  not  pursue 
us,  if  they  try ;  and  before  they  recover,  we  may  find 
safety  somewhere." 

"  We  will  hasten  home !"  said  Julia. 

"  Home,  sister  ?  We  have  no  home,  now  !"  respond- 
ed Mercy.  "Our  only  hope  is  to  escape  from  these 

beastly  wretches.  If  we  return But  see,  yonder 

come  a  number  of  white  people,  and  two  wagons,  or 
more !" 

Fugitives  hurrying  away!  Would  they  take  with 
them  four  orphan  girls  ?  Aye,  they  would — and  that 
too  with  a  hearty  good  will !  But  the  Indians  ?  Quick ! 
Delay  was  dangerous  just  then.  Some  of  the  red-skins 
might  be  on  their  trail ! 

"What  have  we  here?"  exclaimed  a  wagoner,  at 
sight  of  their  drunken  captors  stretched  out  upon  the 
ground. 

Mercy  quickly  told  her  story  and  explained  the 
whisky-keg ;  whereupon  the  man  tumbled  them  over 
the  rocks  down  into  the  river,  declaring  that  they 
should  not  live  to  resume  their  work  of  destruction. 


276  EXECUTION  OP  "BAD  INJUXS!" 

Then  whipping  up  their  horses,  the  fugitives  hurriedly 
fled.  And  while  so  many  others  were  overtaken  and 
murdered  in  their  flight,  it  seemed  like  a  marvelous 
chance  that  Farmer  Denton's  four  daughters  and  the 
party  who  kindly  assisted  them  on  the  way,  should  suc- 
ceed in  escaping  from  the  very  midst  of  the  massacre, 
and  finally  reach  St.  Paul,  without  encountering  even 
the  sight  of  another  Indian. 

The  Indian  outbreak  of  August,  '62,  was  terrible,  but 
soon  ended !  I  can  not  call  it  a  war.  It  was  an  uni- 
versal slaughter  and  torture  of  unwarned  and  defense- 
less white  settlers,  and  then  a  speedy  armed  pursuit  of 
the  savages,  who  were  quickly  captured,  but  not  killed, 
as  they  deserved  to  have  been.  Yet  humanity  and  a 
sense  of  wisdom  actuated  General  Sibley  and  the  officers 
and  men  who  joined  him  in  the  decisive  expedition 
against  the  treacherous  outlaws ;  and  in  less  than  three 
months  after  their  first  slaughter,  the  insatiate  red- 
skins were  either  captured,  suing  for  peace,  or  skulking 
toward  the  setting  sun. 

o 

The  Indian  captives  were  treated  as  prisoners  of  war ; 
and,  after  being  allowed  a  fair  trial  by  court-martial, 
nearly  one  hundred  of  them  were  convicted  of  the  most 
heinous  atrocities.  In  the  list  of  convicts  I  have  seen 
the  names  of  Te-he-hdo-ne-cha,  the  inhospitable ;  Ta-zoo, 
the  red  otter;  Wy-a-tah-ta-wa,  his  people;  Hin-han- 
shoon-ko-yag-ma-ne,  the  man  with  an  owl's  tail ;  Ma-za- 
bom-doo,  iron  blower ;  Wah-pa-doo-ta,  red  leaf;  "\Va-he- 
hna;  Sna-ma-ne,  tinkling  walker ;  Rha-in-yan-ka,  rattling 
runner ;  Do-wan-sa,  the  singer ;  and  Hap-an,  the  second 
son.  These,  with  twenty-seven  others,  were  subse- 
quently hanged,  all  at  the  same  moment,  near  Mankato. 
The  execution  of  many  more  was  deferred  for  a  time. 
Others  were  sentenced  to  imprisonment  on  Rock  Island, 


"GOOD  INJUNS"  SENT  AWAY!  277 

in  the  Mississippi  River,  opposite  the  City  of  Davenport, 
Iowa.  Among  the  convicts  sent  thither  was  a  Sioux 
chief,  named  Wa-mada-tonka,  who,  before  going,  had  an 
interview  with  his  family — a  wife  and  two  little  sons ; 
and  at  parting  with  them  he  placed  around  the  neck  of 
the  youngest  a  huge  necklace  of  bears'  claws,  which  had 
been  handed  down  to  him  through  many  generations  of 
ancestry,  and  consequently  priceless  in  its  value.  The 
bereaved  mother  and  her  sorrowful  children,  with  a  sol- 
dier near  them,  may  be  seen  grouped  in  the  foreground  of 
the  chapter-head  engraving,  page  207.  The  necklace  is 
shown  in  the  picture  of  the  juvenile  heir ;  and  Cap  des 
Sioux,  or  "  Winona  Rock,"  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Lake 
Pepin,  is  also  plainly  visible  in  the  distant  view. 

Thus,  some  of  the  "  bad  Injuns  "  received  punishment, 
while  vast  numbers  were  humanely  sent  off  to  a  new 
reservation,  in  which  they  can  leisurely  abide  the  inevi- 
table extinction  of  their  race  with  the  rapid  development 
of  future  events. 

Old  Betz,  or  Hah-zah-ee-yun-kee-win,  that  remarkable 
centenarian  female,  who  "gathers  huckleberries  while 
running,"  counted  one  among  the  "good  Injuns"  in- 
cluded in  the  decree  of  their  lenient  big-knife  captors,  to 
be  sent  up  the  Missouri  river ;  but  her  son,  Ta-o-pee,  a 
farmer,  who  had  been  true  to  the  whites,  was  gratified 
in  his  request  that  she  might  be  left  with  him. 

And  since  then  she  has  been  lodging  somewhere  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mendota  by  night,  and  begging  in  the 
City  of  St.  Paul  by  day.  The  distance  is  not  less  than 
five  miles ;  and  though  her  age  is  said  to  be  verging  on 
to  two  hundred  years,  a  short  walk  like  that  is  no  ob- 
stacle to  her  when  she  wants  a  fresh  supply  of  kosh- 
popee.  She  is  very  shrewd  in  her  method  of  operating 
while  on  a  collecting-tour.  I  met  her  on  Third  street 


278  DECEIT  OP  "OLD  BETZ!" 

one  fine  morning  after  experiencing  that  wonderful 
dream  in  which  she  appeared  to  me  over  there  on  the 
great  bluff  beneath  the  solitary  pine,  where  she  was 
mourning  for  the  loss  of  her  first-born  child,  whose  re- 
mains lie  beneath  that  curious  mound  of  round  blue 
stones,  which  she  told  me  she  had  carried  thither  from 
the  waters  of  Minneineeopa.  Instantly  recognizing  her 
from  the  memory  of  that  dream,  my  salutation  was, 
"Ah,  OldBetz!" 

"  Ugh !  Hi,  hah !"  she  grunted,  with  a  sharp  twink- 
ling of  her  deeply-sunken  black  eyes,  which  glared  just 
precisely  as  I  had  seen  them  in  my  dream. 

I  expressed  much  delight  at  meeting  her,  and  she 
grunted  and  gesticulated  in  response  with  an  intensely 
reciprocal  feeling.  My  flowing  beard  immediately  at- 
tracted her  attention.  Probably  it  was  much  longer  than 
any  other  that  she  had  ever  seen ;  and,  as  if  thoroughly 
experienced  in  the  skill  of  social  deceit,  and  possessing 
a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  weaker  points  in  the  vanity 
of  an  egotistical  man,  with  her  horny  claws  she  gath- 
ered up  the  flowing  end  of  the  capilliform  appendage 
of  my  face,  and  then  coquettishly  hugged  it  to  her 
neck  and  her  cheek,  lovingly  and  admiringly,  to  con- 
clude with  a  sentimentally  touching  appeal  for  kosh- 
popee.  An  involuntary  shudder  caused  me  to  shrink 
from  her  first  touch,  which  recalled  a  vivid  recollection 
of  those  unpleasant  sensations  experienced  in  connection 
with  her  grasp  during  my  dream.  But  curiosity  over- 
came that  momentary  feeling;  and  a  friend  who  was 
with  me  burst  into  audible  laughter  to  see  how  indus- 
triously I  manipulated  her  dry  old  cranium  in  the  pur- 
suit of  phrenological  knowledge.  However,  his  merri- 
ment did  not  deter  me  from  satisfying  myself  that  I  had 
never  before  handled  such  a  dry,  wooden  object  per- 


ANXIOUS   FOE   "  KOSH-POPEE."  279 

manently  attached  to  the  living  trunk  of  a  human  being. 
It  was  not  only  dry  and  wooden  to  the  touch,  but 
minutely  corrugated  and  strangely  cold.  And  when  I 
looked  into  the  depth  of  her  weird  eyes  and  saw  their 
cadaveric  intensity  my  hands  instinctively  recoiled. 
Perceiving  that  I  shrank,  she  grinned  capaciously 
enough  for  me  to  discern  that  solitary  cuspidata  pendu- 
larity  in  her  upper  jaw ;  and  with  the  most  gigantic 
smirk  of  tenderness  that  I  ever  beheld,  she  then  grunted 
a  repetition  of  "kosh-popee" — which,  I  am  told,  she 
anxiously  reiterates  every  forty-five  seconds  when  en- 
gaged in  a  tete-a-tete  with  any  pale-face  who  is  unfamiliar 
with  her  cunning  arts. 

But  as  kosh-popee  did  not  immediately  appear,  she 
adroitly  tried  another  dodge  by  declaring  that  she  had 
known  me  ever  since  she  was  "  oney  so  big !"  At  that 
moment,  the  demonstrative  position  of  her  hand  was 
evidently  intended  to  define  the  probable  stature  of  a 
child  not  more  than  three  years  old.  And,  calling  to 
mind  her  centennial  longevity,  after  witnessing  the 
parabolic  suggestion  of  her  hand,  I  inadvertently  ques- 
tioned myself  how  long  I  might  have  been  unconsciously 
living.  Where  had  I  been  all  that  time  ?  A  question 
not  readily  answered.  And,  as  her  characteristic  rest- 
tiveness  would  not  admit  of  her  tarrying  with  me  until 
the  narrative  of  an  eventful  life  was  ended,  she  uttered 
a  petulant  grunt,  and  waddled  off  on  her  thin  bow-legs 
which  were  swathed  in  dark-blue  cloth. 

I  called  her  back,  and  persuasively  invited  her  to 
oblige  us  with  one  of  her  favorite  songs.  At  that  she 
snorted  and  grunted  as  if  highly  insulted,  and  would 
have  gone  away  muttering  maledictions  upon  my  head, 
but  for  the  timely  proffer  of  a  ten-cent  currency  stamp, 
which  elicited  an  animated  and  prompt  compliance. 


A  very  "  good-looking"  Sioui,  who  suffered  death  in 
punishment  for  bis  cruelties  during  the  Massacre. 


AN  INDIAN   SONG.  281 

"  Kosh-popee !  Yaw !  Me  sing !  Augh !"  And  then 
she  proceeded  to  utter  a  monotonous  "caw-cawing" 
squall,  not  very  dissimilar  to  that  of  a  domestic  hen  in 
the  exuberant  season  of  nest-making  and  egg-laying, 
preparatory  to  the  more  tedious  ordeal  of  incubation. 
But  she  soon  subsided  into  an  unhealthy  attack  of 
bronchial  cadenza,  that  passed  away  like  the  "horse" 
tone  of  a  debilitated  nightmare,  conceived  from  unwise- 
ly indulging  in  too  much  lobster- salad  at  a  late  supper. 

Indian  songs  are  spasmodically  extemporized  bawls 
or  screams,  unmellifluously  devoid  of  change  in  tune. 
They  use  a  kind  of  tabor,  and  something  like  castanets, 
with  a  primitive  drum  containing  seeds  or  pebbles,  for 
rattling,  as  an  orchestra  in  their  terpsichorean  festivals. 
And  an  Indian  dance  is  nothing  more  than  an  exhibition 
of  violent  confusion.  A  troupe  of  lunatics  might  acci- 
dentally perform  similar  antics  of  body  and  brain. 

Formalities  of  etiquette  are  seldom  observed  by 
them.  Not  even  a  salutation  is  deemed  necessary, 
except  to  a  particular  friend ;  and  then  the  greeting  may 
be  a  simple  touch  of  the  hand,  without  the  utterance  of 
a  word  or  a  look  in  the  face.  The  alpha  of  a  public 
address  is  generally  the  "  Great  Spirit ;"  and,  if  to  white 
men,  the  omega  of  "  wThisky  and  tobacco "  inevitably 
closes  the  oration. 

While  traveling,  they  are  guided  by  the  sun  in  the 
day-time  and  by  the  polar  star  at  night.  If  the  sun  or 
the  stars  can  not  be  seen,  they  know  that  the  tips  of 
the  blades  of  grass  always  point  to  the  south,  and  that 
it  is  less  green  on  the  side  toward  the  north.  Thus 
they  traverse  the  prairies.  In  the  forest,  they  are  very 
well  aware  that  the  tree-tops  incline  to  the  south,  and 
that  there  is  more  moss  on  the  side  of  the  trunk  and 
branches  facing  the  north ;  and  also  that  the  bark  is  more 


282  CLASSIC   ABORIGINES. 

pliant  and  smooth  on  the  eastern  side  than  on  any 
other.  They  measure  distances  by  the  number  of  days 
required  to  travel  them. 

The  Dyaks  of  Borneo  are  fond  of  preserving  the 
heads  of  their  enemies  whom  they  kill  in  war.  They 
retain  those  ghastly  and  putrifying  trophies  to  play 
with  as  toys,  and  frequently  carry  them  suspended  by 
a  cord  from  their  own  necks.  The  American  Indians 
secure  the  scalps,  the  ears,  the  tongues,  and  the  hearts 
of  their  enemies  for  amusement  at  home.  The  Turk,  the 
Tartar,  and  the  Chinese,  are  satisfied  if  they  can  possess 
even  the  tail  of  a  horse  previously  ridden  by  their  foe. 
A  Yankee  would  "  call  it  square "  if  he  could  obtain 
judgment  for  pecuniary  damage  in  a  civil  court  of  law. 

Taken  altogether,  the  Indian  is  a  sublime,  horrible, 
original  and  grotesque  admixture  of  strange  and  extra- 
ordinary peculiarities.  Neither  his  face,  his  gestures, 
nor  his  attitudes  are  equaled  by  any  of  the  celebrated 
frescoes  from  the  pencil  of  either  Guido  Roni,  Domini- 
chino,  or  other  Italian  masters. 

Even  the  ideal  beings  that  are  seen  in  those  hells, 
purgatories,  limbos,  paradises,  deluges  and  last  judg- 
ments, which  painters  have  put  on  canvas,  but  faintly 
approach  the  remarkable  characteristics  of  the  Ameri- 
can aborigine.  Nor  does  that  extravagant  though  beau- 
tiful production  of  the  Flemish  school,  called  "  Salvator 
Rosa's  Conspiracy  of  Cataline"  give  anything  as  pictur- 
esque or  poetical  as  the  visage  of  a  Dakota. 

A  traveler,  whose  imagination  was  more  powerful 
than  mine,  traced  a  resemblance  between  the  old  chief 
Wamenitouka  and  that  famous  statue  of  Aristides  ha- 
ranguing the  corrupt  Athenians,  in  the  Museum  at 
Naples.  To  his  eye,  another  chief  represented  the 
statue  of  Cato  predicting  to  the  Romans  that  their 


PLUME    OF   THE    BKAVE  !  283 

vices,  their  luxuries,  and  their  avarice  would  soon  re- 
duce them  to  slavery.  Those  chiefs  and  that  traveler 
are  now  in  their  graves. 

The  uncouth  painting  of  Indian  faces  and  bodies  is 
really  hideous.  Some  of  their  countenances  resemble 
palettes  covered  with  every  variety  of  color,  while 
others  are  wholly  or  in  part  white  or  black,  and  vividly 
suggestive  of  millers  or  chimney-sweeps.  Others,  still, 
paint  their  bodies  with  winged  angels,  or  horned  devils, 
according  to  individual  taste.  They  decorate  them- 
selves with  bones,  teeth  and  claws  of  wild  beasts,  tufts 
of  buffalo  hair,  or  the  feathers  of  birds — when  they  can 
not  procure  necklaces  of  glass  beads,  ribbons,  bracelets, 
rings  and  crosses.  During  the  great  massacre,  they 
did  not  wear  the  apparel  which  they  stole.  They  tore  it 
into  shreds  for  simple  decorations,  to  give  themselves 
the  appearance  of  ragged  demons. 

The  Chippeway  men  are  physically  superior  to  the 
Sioux,  though  their  noses  are  flatter  and  wider,  and 
their  cheek-bones  more  prominent,  with  thicker  lips  and 
smaller  eyes. 

An  eagle  feather  in  the  hair  of  a  Sioux  shows  that  he 
has  killed  a  Chippeway ;  and  two  feathers  give  him  the 
title  of  a  brave.  The  color  of  the  feather  indicates  the 
grade  of  his  victim.  Black,  gray  or  white  denotes  a 
man,  woman  or  child.  A  black  band  around  the  waist 
signifies  that  the  wearer  fought  hand  to  hand  with  his 
enemy.  As  in  civilized  countries,  the  influence  of  female 
smiles  will  urge  men  to  deeds  of  valor  and  honor,  or 
of  crime.  And  as  a  warrior  receives  very  little  favor 
from  the  damsels  of  his  tribe  until  he  wears  the  eagle 
feather  for  a  plume,  it  need  not  be  a  subject  of  wonder 
if  he  should  obtain  the  coveted  talisman  by  bloodshed 
and  assassination  as  soon  as  a  favorable  chance  occurs. 


284  GOD'S   HANDIWORK   GONE   ASTKAY  ! 

I  only  wish  some  of  those  theorizing  humanitarians 
would  visit  the  unreclaimed  territories  of  the  North- 
west, and  cultivate  a  personal  acquaintance  with  this 
noble  red  man — this  gentle  savage — this  paragon  of 
manhood  running  wild — this  admirable  specimen  of 
God's  handiwork  gone  astray !  Ah,  I  fancy  that  it  will 
require  much  preaching  and  practical  teaching,  with  the 
lapse  of  interminable  time,  to  regenerate  the  unadulter- 
ated offspring  of  these  aboriginal  braves.  There  is 
plenty  of  room  for  the  sanguine  theoricians  to  begin. 
Perhaps  they  might  succeed  in  reclaiming  one  out  of  a 
thousand,  and  then  see  that  one  ultimately  relapsing 
into  worse  barbarism  than  he  was  found  in  before  they 
undertook  his  redemption.  If  I  may  predicate  upon  the 
record  of  unfruitful  endeavors  in  behalf  of  "ye  poor 
Indian,"  the  reader  must  pardon  the  derision  which  my 
language  conveys.  And  for  an  indisputable  line  of  tes- 
timony, without  enumerating  single  instances  of  the 
obdurate  and  inaccessible  heart  of  the  Indian,  I  will 
refer  to  the  great  massacre  which  occurred  in  a  locality 
where  the  combined  influence  of  gospel  teachings  and 
pecuniary  reward  had  totally  failed  to  win  more  than  a 
few  of  them  from  the  moral  darkness  and  physical  de- 
gradation in  which  and  of  which  they  were  born !  But 
I  will  desist  from  this  useless  moralizing,  and  recur  to 
the  drudgery  of  the  woman,  who  follows  her  husband, 
the  most  abject  of  all  slaves ! 

Behold  the  erect  form  of  that  Dakota  who  moves 
with  measured  and  pompous  stride,  like  the  monarch 
of  an  empire.  He  appears  to  be  serenely  conscientious 
while  his  wife  trudges  behind  him  in  lieu  of  baggage- 
wagon  or  pack-horse  train.  He  gathers  his  blanket 
gracefully  around  his  shoulders,  and  the  eagle's  feather 
majestically  waves  above  his  fantastic  crown,  while  the 


THE  DAKOTA'S  WIFE.  285 

only  burden  he  carries  is  a  red-stone  pipe  with  a  very 
long  stem,  or  a  tomahawk  and  pipe  all  in  one.  His 
wife  is  ready  to  sink  with  exhaustion  from  all  his  world- 
ly estate  piled  upon  her  back !  She  follows,  weary, 
panting,  groaning — dying  !  He  is  a  "big  Injun" — and 
scornfully  refuses  to  take  compassion  on  a  woman ! 

In  his  valuable  History  of  Minnesota,  Rev.  E.  D.  Neill, 
of  St.  Paul,  compares  Dakota  women  to  the  Gibeonite 
females  of  old,  who  were  "hewers  of  vood  and  drawers 
of  water"  for  the  every-day  requirements  of  life.  He 
has  seen  a  mother  on  a  winter's  day,  traveling  eight  or 
ten  miles,  with  the  entire  appurtenances  of  a  teepee, 
camp-kettle,  axe,  papoose  and  several  small  dogs,  all 
piled  upon  her  back.  And  after  arriving  at  the  camp- 
ing spot  and  clearing  off  the  snow,  she  proceeded  to  cut 
poles  and  erect  the  teepee.  She  then  gathered  firewood, 
brought  water,  put  everything  in  order,  and  commenced 
darning  her  lord's  moccasins  before  he  arrived  to  abuse 
her  for  not  providing  an  abundant  supply  of  minne- 
wakan.  Mr.  Neill  says  that  in  consequence  of  their  ill- 
treatment,  but  few  happy -faced  wives  are  seen  among 
the  Dakota  Indians.  Also,  that  suicide  is  very  com- 
monly resorted  to  by  them  as  the  only  chance  of  escape 
from  cruelties  which  they  are  unable  to  endure.  The 
husband  of  an  unfaithful  wife  may  kill  her,  or  cut  off 
her  nose ! 


CHAPTER    XX. 


GOLIAH  was  not  present  when  the 
murderous  savages  shot  down  his 
master;  yet  only  a  few  seconds 
elapsed  ere  he  mingled  in  the  terri- 
ble scene.  As  if  by  instinct,  he  se- 
lected the  very  one  whose  rifle  sent 
the  fatal  ball ;  and,  before  any  of 
them  could  intercept  him,  his  great 
sharp  tushes  were  clinched  at  the 
assassin's  throat.  A  mumbling  snarl 
and  howl,  as  of  a  wild  tiger  when 
venting  its  blood-thirsty  roar,  momentarily  checked  the 
work  of  carnage.  But  the  next  instant  he  was  chopped 
to  the  earth,  tearing  out  the  windpipe  of  his  victim  in 
the  fall.  And  though  he  became  a  sacrifice,  his  timely 
assault  thus  deterred  the  savages  from  mutilating  and 
dismembering  the  farmer's  body  even  after  death. 
Moreover,  the  occurrence  was  an  ill-omen  in  the  super- 
stitious minds  of  the  sanguinary  Sioux,  who  believe  that 
some  frightful  calamity  must  surely  befall  the  tribe  of  a 


288  SMOLDEEING   BUINS. 

man  dying  from  the  bite  of  a  dog.  Therefore,  without 
effectually  silencing  Goliah's  cries  of  agony  by  totally 
and  immediately  ending  his  life,  they  hastily  fired  the 
buildings  and  precipitately  fled,  carrying  with  them  the 
wretch  whose  throat  had  been  torn  open  by  the  revenge- 
ful gnashing  of  the  formidable  teeth  in  his  ponderous 
jaws ! 

The  devouring  element  consumed  everything  within 
its  reach,  and  the  conflagration  was  nearly  ended  when 
the  sombre  shades  of  evening  set  in.  But  though  the 
smoldering  ruins  no  longer  blazed,  a  triple  pile  of 
glowing  embers  and  coals  sent  forth  a  dense  volume  of 
smoke  that  made  the  dark  atmosphere  of  night  seem 
alive  with  spectral  shadows  and  quivering  glares,  while 
the  star-lit  sky  above  was  obscured  by  a  dismal  pall 
of  red. 

Where  life  and  happiness  so  peacefully  and  contented- 
ly dwelt  only  a  few  hours  before,  no  human  voice  was 
now  heard,  nor  did  footsteps  draw  near.  The  terrified 
cattle  could  bellow  no  more  from  sheer  exhaustion,  the 
fluttering  fowls  were  weary  with  cackling,  and  Julia's 
pet  lamb  ceased  its  plaintive  cries.  And  while  the  sur- 
rounding space  became  hushed  in  a  silence  that  was 
awing  and  strange,  many  other  smoldering  fires  might 
be  seen  with  their  phantom  glares  to  point  out  devas- 
tated homes,  where  murdered  victims  lay  or  terror- 
stricken  fugitives  hid  themselves  in  covert  retreats. 

The  last  flickering  ray  of  light  from  the  ruins  at 
Denton  Farm  was  just  expiring  when  a  sobbing  moan 
announced  that  Goliah  still  lived  and  breathed.  The 
poor  dog  gradually  revived,  and  began  to  scent  for  his 
master.  Apparently  unconscious  of  the  wounds  in  his 
own  body,  he  did  not  cry  with  the  pain  which  he 
must  have  felt,  but  soon  discovered  where  his  master 


A   JOYFUL    KETUltX.  280 

lay,  and  feebly  crawled  and  whined  until  he  could 
touch  him.  Then,  with  plaintive  utterances  of  anxiety 
and  distress  for  the  condition  of  his  master,  he  tried  to 
lick  his  hands  and  face,  while  whining  more  anxiously 
than  before.  The  loss  of  blood  had  so  weakened  him 
that  his  tongue  could  scarcely  move,  and  yet  his  caress- 
es were  sufficient  to  rouse  his  master  from  the  sleep  of 
death ! 

When  morning  came,  Farmer  Denton  and  Goliah 
were  temporarily  concealed  a  short  distance  from  the 
farm.  And  in  less  than  two  weeks'  time  they  received 
a  warm  reception  in  the  City  of  St.  Paul ! 

It  is  unnecessary  here  to  narrate  the  circumstances 
of  their  recovery  and  escape,  as  many  facts  pertaining 
to  somewhat  similar  adventures,  which  others  expe- 
rienced in  that  vicinity  about  the  same  time,  are  in- 
cluded among  the  " Interlude  Notes"  of  this  volume, 
and  voluminously  given  in  the  published  "  Histories  of 
the  Sioux  War."  But  the  unfortunate  farmer  heard  of 
his  daughters'  safety  long  before  he  saw  them,  while 
they  could  get  no  tidings  of  him  until  he  and  Goliah 
presented  themselves  in  person.  And  there  was  a  joy- 
ous reunion  in  the  parlor  of  Lady  Levasseur  when  the 
father  and  his  dog  arrived. 

"Why,  I  never  had  so  many  kisses  since  I  was 
born !"  he  cried,  while  his  four  daughters  were  trying 
to  embrace  him  all  together,  and  each  putting  up  her 
lips  at  the  same  time.  "  Now  it's  Eliza  and  Mercy — and 
then  Julia  and  Jane  !  Two  at  a  time,  and  all  at  once  ! 
Bless  you,  girls  !  My  arms  are  more  than  full !" 

"  And  here  we've  been  crying  our  eyes  out  with  the 
belief  that  you  were  dead  !"  exclaimed  Jane.    "  Oh,  pa  ! 
I  do  love  you  so !     And  now  I  shall  never  disobey  you 
again  as  long  as  I  live !" 
13 


290  FLEUKETTE    AND   GOLIAH. 

"  Not  until  the  next  time.  Yes,  your  roguish  eyes 
look  very  much  as  if  you'd  been  crying  them  out  for 
me.  But  come,  let's  have  another  kiss.  All  of  you,  I 
mean,  you  sauce-boxes,  you !  I  never  was  so  happy  as 
now !  But — but,  girls,  we  are  all  beggars  now  !  Do 
you  know  that  ?  I  have  only  you  left !  Everything  else 
is  lost !" 

"  Mr.  Denton,  you  forget !"  interrupted  Fleurette. 
"  Your  daughters  are  not  all  that  you  have  left.  I  can 
name  a  very  valuable  object  which  you  have  omitted  in 
summing  up  your  treasures." 

"  And  pray  what  is  that  ?" 

"  A  splendid  dog  named  Goliah !" 

Fleurette  had  been  caressing  his  canine  majesty  from 
the  moment  he  entered  the  room ;  and  she  went  on  to 
say :  "  Oh,  what  large  scars  I  see  upon  his  head,  his  back 
and  his  limbs !  Did  the  Indians  really  chop  him  in  all 
those  places  with  their  battle-axes  and  scalping-knives  ? 
Poor  dog !  How  cruel  it  was  to  abuse  him  so !" 

"  Why,  Fleurette,  dear ;  you  do  not  perceive  how  Mr. 
Denton's  head  and  face  have  been  cut  ?"  observed  Lady 
Levasseur.  "Is  his  dog  of  more  account  than  himself?" 

"Oh,  pardon  me,  sir!"  quickly  answered  Fleurette. 
"  I  do  see  that,  and  wish  witli  all  my  heart  that  every 
one  of  those  ugly  Indians  were  driven  so  far  off  that 
they  could  never  find  the  way  back  again." 

And  then  they  were  told  all  about  how  Goliah  had 
saved  his  master's  life. 

Lady  Levasseur  felt  anxious  to  assure  the  unfortunate 
man  that  while  she  had  such  an  abundance  to  spare,  he 
need  not  apprehend  any  inconvenience  from  want ;  yet 
she  would  avail  herself  of  a  more  fitting  opportunity  to 
tell  him  so.  However,  he  was  not  a  desponding  man  in 
money  matters.  He  had  health  and  strength.  Perhaps 


A   FKIEND    IX   XEED.  291 

he  could  get  along  in  some  way.  Nevertheless,  his  sit- 
uation was  extremely  embarrassing  just  then.  He  had 
a  family  and  no  home.  That  was  a  serious  reflection ! 
His  pecuniary  resources  were  all  invested  in  his  farm. 
What  could  he  expect  from  that,  when  the  Indians  had 
burned  his  house  and  his  barns,  and  destroyed  his  crops  ? 
Winter  was  coming  on ;  and  how  would  he  be  able  to 
survive  until  spring  ?  Lady  Levasseur  had  already  ex- 
ceeded the  bounds  of  magnanimous  liberality  in  behalf 
of  his  daughters,  and  he  could  not  ask  nor  accept  aid 
from  her. 

But  Lady  Levasseur  would  not  listen  to  any  objec- 
tions while  his  misfortune  claimed  her  generosity.  She 
did  not  look  upon  it  as  charity.  Her  home  should  be 
his  home  and  the  home  of  the  girls,  at  least  until  the 
future  enabled  him  to  go  forth  and  prosper  again.  He 
must  not  refuse !  She  insisted,  and  Fleurette  conspired 
with  the  girls  to  convince  him  that,  under  the  circum- 
stances, it  was  right  and  proper  for  him  to  accept. 

And  then  Lady  Levasseur  removed  from  the  hotel  to 
a  stylish  residence  that  was  owned  by  a  wealthy  citizen, 
who  had  been  frightened  entirely  out  of  the  State  by  the 
massacre,  while  it  was  at  least  a  hundred  miles  away. 
The  owner's  agent  wanted  to  sell ;  and,  though  not  less 
than  sixteen  thousand  dollars  had  been  expended  on 
the  house  and  grounds,  he  would  part  with  all  for  little 
more  than  one-quarter  of  that  sum. 

"Good  gracious!"  ejaculated  Farmer Denton,  "if  the 
man  is  satisfied  to  sell  at  that  price,  buy  it  of  him  while 
he  is  in  the  humor ;  and  he  will  come  back  and  offer 
twenty  thousand  for  it,  after  these  red-skins  have  been 
subdued  and  driven  out  of  sight  and  hearing.  A 
glorious  chance  for  speculation  ;  and  I  only  wish  I  had 
five  thousand  dollars  handy — that's  all.  I'd  be  the 


292  "DAR  AM  is.r' 

proprietor  of  this  place  before  another  day  rolled  over 
my  head,  if  I  could  raise  the  money  to  pay  down  !" 

Lady  Levasseur  smiled.  She  thought  a  moment,  and 
then  bade  Sancho  bring  her  something  from  the  escri- 
toire. That  colored  individual  was  not  only  her  book- 
keeper, secretary  and  cashier,  but  really  a  clever  finan- 
cier. He  methodically  arranged  the  writing  materials 
upon  the  table  before  his  mistress,  and  then  articulated, 
"Dar  amis!" 

"  Now,  Mr.  Denton,"  said  Lady  Levasseur,  after  fill- 
ing up  a  check  for  five  thousand  dollars ;  "  I  have 
drawn  it  payable  to  your  order ;  and  if  you  think  there 
is  anything  to  be  made  in  the  purchase  of  this  estate, 
let  the  deed  be  executed  in  your  name.  It  shall  be 
yours,  to  keep  or  to  sell,  as  you  please.  For  the  present, 
we  can  live  here  all  together.  Sancho  will  settle  with 
the  market  folks,  the  grocery-man  and  the  butcher,  you 
know !  Not  a  word !  When  times  get  straight  once 
more,  and  you  wish  to  dispose  of  the  place  for  twenty 
or  thirty  thousand,  as  you  say,  you  can  then  refund  me 
five.  Until  that  event  transpires,  consider  yourself  lord 
and  master  of  the  dwelling  in  which  you  live." 

"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad !"  cried  Fleurette.  "  We  shall  have 
such  a  nice  time.  Won't  we,  Goliah  ?" 

His  dogship  coincided  by  a  rapturous  vibration  of  his 
immense  tail.  And  she  was  happy  in  his  society ;  no 
matter  what  a  great  many  other  beautiful  young  ladies 
might  think. 

In  a  short  time  the  farmer  was  gratified  with  an  op- 
portunity of  visiting  his  desolated  home.  The  Indians 
had  been  dealt  with,  but  not  half  severely  enough! 
And  the  fifteen  thousand  people  who  had  been  driven 
from  their  homes,  seriously  thought  of  returning.  But 
while  the  one  hundred  female  captives — wives,  mothers 


A    BED    RIVER    DOG-TRAIN".  293 

and  young  girls — who  had  been  abused  in  every  way 
possible,  were  once  more  free,  the  one  thousand  dead 
were  not  all  even  provided  with  graves ! 

The  labor  of  restoration  was  soon  begun.  But  win- 
ter delayed  the  work,  and  protracted  want  embittered 
the  existence  of  thousands  until  Government  compensa- 
tion and  another  harvest  season  filled  the  new  granaries 
with  reabundance,  and  gave  the  needy  a  generous  re- 
ward for  their  patient  toil. 

Meanwhile,  Farmer  Denton  had  time  and  opportu- 
nity for  gratifying  his  curiosity  relative  to  various 
natural  peculiarities  of  Dakota  land.  Among  other 
places,  he  visited  St.  Cloud,  and  there  enjoyed  a  great 
treat,  in  unexpectedly  witnessing  the  arrival  of  a  train 
of  do-'-sledojes  from  Red  River.  He  remembered  read- 

O  O 

ing  about  such  conveyances  in  a  book  that  described 
the  manners  and  customs  of  people  who  inhabited  ex- 
tremely cold  countries,  where  they  had  long  winters  of 
snow,  and  he  had  often  thought  how  much  he  would  be 
delighted  to  see  a  team  of  real  Kamtschatka  or  Es- 
quimaux dogs  drawing  one  of  those  queer  sledges. 

He  was  always  pleased  with  anything  he  heard  about 
the  sagacity  of  the  canine  species.  And  his  apprecia- 
tion of  the  omnivorous  quadruped  was  practically  de- 
monstrated when  he  spent  several  hundred  dollars  to 
procure  Goliah,  whom  he  had  brought  all  the  way  from 
the  vicinity  of  Mont  Blanc,  in  Switzerland,  the  only 
country  where  the  pure  and  genuine  St.  Bernard  race 
is  said  to  happily  thrive  and  multiply.  And  they  are 
now  becoming  scarce  even  there. 

A  dog  train  was  not  seen  very  often  as  recently  as 
'62,  and  the  arrival  of  the  one  which  he  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  see  Avhile  at  St.  Cloud,  proved  a  novelty  to  others 
beside  him.  It  brought  down  a  lot  of  furs  belonging 


Tourists  eiijoymg  their  First  View  of  the  Ked  Kiver  of  lUe  North. 


"DOG  BEAT  HORSE!"  295 

to  the  Hudson  Bay  Company ;  and  he  was  more  than 
delighted  to  leai'n  that  its  final  destination  would  be 
the  City  of  St.  Paul.  Nothing  could  please  him  better. 
And  although  the  foot-traveling  was  then  particularly 
difficult  for  a  pale-face  unaccustomed  to  such  exploits, 
he  resolved  to  accompany  the  train  to  the  end  of  its 
journey. 

Therefore  he  immediately  cultivated  an  acquaintance 
with  the  half-breed  drivers,  who  heartily  laughed  at  his 
proposition.  He  did  not  particularly  admire  them  for 
that.  But  he  soon  made  them  all  his  friends  by  a  boun- 
tiful distribution  of  tobacco  and  other  cheap  "  luxuries," 
which  speedily  opened  their  black  eyes  and  their  willing 
hands,  if  not  their  turbid  hearts. 

They  suggested  a  "  little  rum,"  but  he  said  "  No !"  so 
flatly  that  the  veto  was  permanently  effectual.  Still 
they  thought  he  was  a  perfect  barbarian,  not  to  like 
"  rum  of  some  kind."  However,  they  did  not  tell 
him  so. 

They  asked  him  "  how  much  he  could  run  !"  He  did 
not  presume  that  such  a  performance  was  necessary. 

"Ugh !  Oie  !  Dog  beat  horse — all  day !"  grunted  a 
tall,  long-haired  driver,  whose  garments  presented  a 
noticeable  admixture  of  the  apparel  worn  by  an  Italian 
bandit,  and  the  furs  of  a  Siberian  exile,  with  a  little 
French,  and  some  Yankee  editions  to  complete  the  cos- 
tume. 

"  Yes !"  interposed  a  merchant  of  St.  Cloud.  "  As 
they  run  along  at  a  gait  of  six  or  eight  miles  an  hour, 
it'll  bring  the  lather  out  of  you  like  ten  thousand,  'fore 
you  know  where  you  are  !" 

"  Then  I'll  hire  a  horse  !"  blurted  out  the  discomfited 
man. 

The  drivers  all  gravely  shook  their  heads ;  at  which  he 


296  BARGAINING    FOR    A    RIDE. 

exclaimed  with  some  excitement:  "Thunder!  I'll  buy 
a  horse,  if  they  are  afraid  to  trust  me  here !" 

"No,  that's  not  it!"  laughed  the  merchant.  "A 
horse  can't  travel  where  them  dogs  go.  He'd  break  his 
own  neck  and  your'n  too,  in  less  time  'an  a  cat  'ud  lick 
its  ear !" 

The  countenance  of  the  anxious  man  fell  to  an  ex- 
pression of  woe.  But  the  captain  came  to  his  rescue  by 
offering  him  "  a  rope  to  hold !" 

"And  what's  that,  I  should  like  to  know?"  He 
looked  suspiciously,  as  if  the  suggestion  of  a  noose  for 
his  neck  was  intended  by  the  allusion  to  a  rope.  The 
explanation  was  satisfactory;  but  it  did  not  comfort 
him  a  great  deal.  It  was  that  he  might  avail  himself 
of  the  same  assistance  allowed  the  drivers,  who  gener- 
ally held  on  to  long  ropes  attached  to  the  rear  end  of 
their  respective  sledges,  whereby  they  were  enabled  to 
run  or  glide  along  upon  snow-shoes  as  fast  as  the  dogs 
traveled,  from  morning  till  night. 

How  could  he  hang  on  to  a  rope,  and  jump  and 
straddle  over  all  sorts  of  obstacles,  on  top  of,  or  amid 
the  uneven  snow,  at  the  rate  of  six  to  eight  miles  an 
hour,  from  St.  Cloud  clear  down  to  St.  Paul?  He 
couldn't  do  it,  and  it  was  simply  ridiculous  to  make 
any  attempt.  But  for  ten  dollars  in  money,  and  a 
pocket-knife,  and  three  plugs  of  chewing-tobacco,  he 
secured  a  seat  upon  a  sledge  which  had  been  partly  un- 
laden at  St.  Cloud. 

"And  now  prepare  to  squat !"  he  jocularly  remarked 
upon  seeing  the  attitude  unavoidably  necessary  in  such 
a  small  space.  And  he  had  no  "  lean-back,"  nor  even  a 
single  "  standard  "  to  hold  on  by.  "  I've  read  how  Bart- 
lett  grumbled  about  riding  on  the  back  of  a  camel  in 
Arabia,"  he  added ;  "  but  I'll  bet  he  had  no  idea  what 


A   FRAIL   BARK.  297 

sort  of  accommodation  he  would  find  on  a  Red  River 
dog-sled !" 

Away  they  went !  And  the  very  first  distinct  feeling 
that  the  enthusiastic  adventurer  had,  was  to  experience 
a  "  cool  head  "  from  the  loss  of  his  hat,  which  the  next 
driver  whipped  up  as  he  ran  and  laughingly  replaced 
upon  his  head. 

Farmer  Denton  soon  became  convinced  that  the 
sledge  was  a  frail  bark  to  voyage  upon.  But  they 
were  all  precisely  alike.  Each  one  consisted  of  only  a 
single  half-inch  white-oak  board,  scarcely  twenty  inches 
wide  and  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  length,  with  the 
front  end  curled  up  similar  to  the  runners  of  a  city- 
made  sleigh,  and  fastened  in  that  position  by  buckskin 
thongs.  Cleats  or  bars,  an  inch  or  so  square,  and  per- 
haps two  feet  apart,  were  also  fastened  to  the  board  by 
leather  strings.  In  fact,  like  the  "  Ox-cart,"  there  was  no 
iron  used  in  their  construction.  The  thongs  .were  drawn 
through  gimlet-holes  in  the  board  and  wrapped  tightly 
around  the  bars.  And  then  a  long  string  passed  under 
each  end  of  the  cross-bars  the  entire  length  of  the  sledge. 
To  those  long  strings  were  tied  the  ends  of  the  lashings 
which  secured  the  freight  as  tightly  as  a  well-corded 
bed-sacking.  The  farmer  very  prudently  contrived  to 
wind  some  of  the  lashings  around  a  part  of  his  own 
body  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  being  pitched  off 
heels  over  head  every  now  and  then,  as  the  slender 
board  suddenly  bounced  up  or  unexpectedly  plunged 
down,  over,  around,  under  and  through  the  uncivilized 
or  at  least  unmacadamized  highway  along  which  the 
canine  quadrupeds  appeared  to  fly.  And  he  could  not 
help  comparing  the  attitude  of  the  drivers,  as  they 
bounded  after  the  sledges  with  the  ropes  jerking  them 
at  random,  to  some  of  his  own  juvenile  exploits.  For 
13* 


298  HOW    "PEMICAX"    IS    MADE. 

example,  when  he  used  to  sail  across  his  father's  cow- 
pasture,  holding  on  to  old  "White-back's"  tail,  while 
she  did  her  best  to  out-gallop  time. 

There  were  four  dogs  to  each  sledge,  "Injun  file;" 
and  it  was  estimated  that  each  team  drew  about  five 
hundred  pounds.  The  sledge  continually  undulated  to 
suit  the  uneven  surface  of  the  snow,  and  the  farmer 
almost  fancied  that  he  rode  on  something  actually 
alive. 

When  the  dogs  could  not  perceive  the  right  "trail," 
one  of  the  drivers  went  on  ahead  with  his  "  snow- 
shoes,"  to  lead  the  way.  But  neither  dogs  rior 
drivers  ate  anything  until  arriving  at  St.  Paul,  where 
they  all  made  a  late  supper  upon  pemican.  Farmer 
Denton  tried  some  of  that  "  sweet  meat,"  and  he  after- 
ward said:  "  Just  take  a  lot  of  buffalo  meat,  or — what  is 
quite  as  juicy  and  tender — part  of  an  old  starved-to-death 
bull,  from  off  the  salt  meadows  along  Barnegat  Bay,  on 
the  sea-coast  of  New  Jersey.  Dry  the  flesh  in  the  sun, 
and  then  partly  cook  or  scorch  it  a  couple  of  hours  on 
sticks  over  a  slow  fire.  Next  spread  it  out  upon  the 
ground  anywhere,  and  pound  it  into  pieces  the  size  of 
oats  or  barley.  Then  shovel  it  into  an  egg-shaped  raw- 
hide bag,  and  pour  over  it  all  the  melted  tallow  that 
will  soak  in !" 

That's  the  way  they  make  pemican,  according  to  his 
report — and  he  would  not  make  a  false  assertion. 

The  dogs  are  fed  only  at  night,  after  they  have  trav- 
eled from  sixty  to  ninety  miles.  Their  allowance  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  drivers,  being  about  a  pound  and  a 
half  for  a  meal. 

Farmer  Denton  was  thoroughly  disgusted  with  the 
journey,  but  not  with  the  dogs.  They  interested  him 
very  much ;  and  from  what  he  could  ascertain  of  their 


CHARACTER    OF    WOLVES.  299 

pedigree,  he  inferred  that  most  of  them  were  a  "  severe  " 
cross  between  the  Esquimaux,  the  Newfoundland,  the 
wolf,  and  the  common  Indian  cur.  Some  of  them  were 
extremely  bright  and  cunning,  and  all  remarkably  en- 
during. One  half-breed  and  another,  a  full-blooded  wolf, 
were  trained  for  leaders.  The  genuine  wolf  was  highly 
esteemed  by  his  driver. 

I  shall  here  add  something  in  relation  to  the  charac- 
ter of  wolves.  Experienced  hunters  tell  me  that  they 
are  not  only  always  hungry,  but  cannibalish  in  the  ex- 
treme. For  after  feasting  upon  the  carcass  of  almost 
any  living  animal,  from  man  down  to  a  lizard  or  a  frog, 
they  often  manifest  a  keen  appetite  for  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  their  own  species.  And  accordingly  the 
stronger  devour  the  weak.  If  one  should  accidentally 
get  smeared  with  blood  from  the  prey  which  they  had 
just  killed,  his  comrades  would  also  eat  him  before  the 
feast  came  to  an  end.  Unlike  other  carnivora,  the  wolf 
snaps  his  prey  with  lightning  rapidity,  instead  of 
clenching  it  and  fixedly  struggling  in  the  charge  of 
death.  And  also  unlike  those  predacious  animals  who 
seize  their  prey  by  stealth,  and  destroy  it  at  a  single 
bound  in  the  first  attack,  the  wolf  is  anatomically 
formed  for  long  chasing,  so  that  the  creature  pursued 
by  him  must  eventually  succumb  in  a  state  of  utter  ex- 
haustion. I  can  not  say  as  to  his  inordinate  power  of 
digestion;  but  when  desperately  hungry  he  has  been 
known  to  thoroughly  masticate  a  rawhide  trace  and  a 
very  hard  old  water-proof  boot.  It  is  generally  in- 
ferred, from  the  external  aspect  of  a  wolf,  that  he  must 
be  as  brave  as  fierce.  But  in  that  facial  expression  he 
deceives  a  stranger;  for,  notwithstanding  his  almost 
vulpine  cunning,  he  is  nearly  as  cowardly  and  much 
meaner  than  a  detestable  feline  thief.  And,  knowing 


300  WOLVES   PLAYING   'POSSUM. 

his  cowardice,  hunters  adroitly  preserve  the  carcass  of 
an  animal  which  they  have  slain,  by  simply  erecting  a 
pole  near  the  spot,  with  an  old  shirt  or  any  fluttering 
object  fastened  at  the  top.  The  inflated  bladder  or  a 
strip  of  the  hide  of  the  dead  carcass  is  sometimes  used 
in  that  way.  And  sagacious  as  the  rascals  are  known 
to  be,  they  have  not  the  courage  to  approach  what  the 
hunters  may  leave  behind  them  under  the  protection 
of  such  a  dreaded  ensign.  With  the  same  result,  trav- 
elers may  drag  a  loose  rope  behind  the  horse  or  vehicle 
which  they  are  riding  upon  when  attacked  by  a  formi- 
dable pack  of  wolves.  They  always  go  in  packs  when 
on  marauding  expeditions ;  which,  allowing  for  occa- 
sional slumber,  occupy  the  greater  portion  of  their  time 
during  life. 

When  seriously  injured  or  frightened,  a  wolf  will 
"  play  'possum  "  so  effectually  as  to  often  deceive  those 
well  acquainted  with  his  artifice  in  that  way.  Many 
rascals  have  thus  eluded  their  captors,  to  the  no  little 
chagrin  of  the  latter.  Nowhere  can  be  witnessed  a 
more  terrific  scene  of  confusion  than  that  arising  from 
the  excitement  among  a  pack  of  wolves  when  they  have 
once  secured  a  buffalo.  A  frightful,  scuffling  skirmish 
straightway  ensues,  and  wildly  continues  for  a  moment 
to  the  music  of  furious  snarls  and  growls;  while  amid  a 
dense  cloud  of  dust,  only  a  frightful  chaos  of  disinte- 
grated hair  and  a  forest  of  frantically  whisking  tails  are 
visible  to  denote  the  sanguinary  process  of  annihilation 
so  speedily  and  rapaciously  performed. 

And  yet  it  has  been  proven  that,  when  captured  quite 
young,  a  wolf  will  not  only  become  tame,  but  conceive 
a  devoted  attachment  for  its  master — in  some  instances 
almost  surpassing  the  fidelity  of  a  dog.  In  certain 
respects  a  tamed  wolf  is  more  serviceable  than  even  the 


DOG-HOTEL   AT   KED    K1VER.  3Q1 

canis  familiaris  ;  as  clearly  illustrated  among  the  teams 
comprising  the  train  which  Farmer  Denton  accom- 
panied from  St.  Cloud  to  St.  Paul.  Many  of  those  crea- 
tures were  domesticated  wolves,  who  manifested  the 
most  faithful  allegiance  to  their  drivel's,  and  obediently 
submit  to  the  servitude  of  a  nomad  existence  without 
any  reluctance.  But  the  farmer  learned  that  they  were 
fond  of  "  running  off,"  now  and  then,  to  enjoy  a  playful 
romp  among  their  wild  ancestors,  when  the  latter 
chance  to  be  prowling  about. 

Whatever  their  origin,  the  sledge-dogs  are  very  unr 
like  the  race  domesticated  in  our  abodes  of  civilization. 
They  are  generally  larger  and  stronger,  and  capable  of 
performing  the  labor  of  horses  and  cattle  where  and 
when  the  latter  would  perish  with  hunger  and  cold. 
They  seem  particularly  adapted  for  endurance  and  pri- 
vation; and  in  the  Northern  wilds  they  are  what  the 
camel  is  in  the  burning  deserts  of  the  torrid  zone.  In 

o 

the  summer,  when  the  sledge-dogs  have  no  work  to  per- 
form, their  owners  sometimes  put  them  out  to  boaud 
with  contractors,  who  feed  them  on  bad  fish. 

And  I  will  also  remark,  that  the  name  Esquimaux  is 
a  corruption  of  weashkimek,  implying  "  eaters  of  fish." 
Thus  it  seems  that  there  is  some  traditional  origin  for 
the  piscivorous  propensity  of  this  serviceable  breed  of 
quadrupeds.  Though  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
physical  peculiarities  of  the  Red  River  dog  are  very  dif- 
ferent from  those  used  by  Dr.  Hayes  in  his  explorations 
of  the  Polar  region. 

A  dog-hotel  or  boarding  establishment  is  one  of  the 
curiosities  of  Selkirk  Colony,  and  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions for  the  control  of  the  wretched  canines,  would 
serve  as  a  model  government  in  some  of  our  great  sem- 
inaries of  learning.  But  when  the  poor  animals  are  not 


;)02  HUNGER    OP   A    BLIGHTED    HEAKT. 

properly  attended  to,  they  break  loose  from  the  kennel 
and  get  up  a  fishing  excursion  on  their  own  account. 
Betaking  themselves  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  they  dart 
with  lightning  velocity  down  upon  the  fish  swimming 
near  the  shore,  or  seize  any  dead  carcass  floating  on  the 
surface  of  the  stream. 

The  "Dog  Carryall"  is  similar  to  the  common  sledge, 
but  covered  with  doeskin  parchment  and  ornamented 
in  the  usually  fantastic  conception  of  an  Indian  artist, 
to  convey  Catholic  priests  and  dignitaries  occupying 
some  official  position. 

That  dog-train  in  the  winter  of  '62  was  the  last  one 
seen  in  the  City  of  St.  Paul ;  for  since  then,  the  exten- 
sion of  the  Pacific  Railway  does  all  the  freight  trans- 
portation below  St.  Cloud. 

Farmer  Denton  says  he  shall  remember  his  novel  ride 
of  seventy-five  miles  behind  four  dogs  as  long  as  he  lives. 

And  he  perfectly  agreed  with  Lady  Levasseur  in  ex- 
tolling both  the  winter  and  the  summer  climate  of  Min- 

O 

nesota.  Yet,  while  expressing  delight  at  her  permanent 
convalescence,  he  would  repeatedly  deplore  his  neglect 
in  not  bringing  his  wife  to  St.  Paul  before  she  died. 
He  was  every  day  more  convinced  from  what  he  heard 
and  saw,  that  the  climate  of  the  North-west  would 
have  saved  her  life. 

But  though  Lady  Levasseur  escaped  death  from  con- 
sumption, and  seemed  so  buoyant  and  cheerful  with  the 
companionship  of  Fleurette  and  her  newly-acquired  and 
sincere  friends,  she  was  very  far  from  being  happy ;  and 
one  day,  in  conversation  with  Farmer  Denton,  she  re- 
marked that  no  amount  of  .wealth  could  appease  the 
hunger  of  a  blighted  heart. 

The  good,  honest  man  then  imagined  her  grief  to  be 
analogous  to  his  own.  He  had  lost  a  dear  wife,  and  she 


AN    OLD    ARDOR    ANEW.  303 

a  beloved  husband.  Their  idols  were  both  in  the  grave. 
He  did  not  know  all — but  he  would,  anon. 

He  was  only  a  man ;  and  all  men  are  comparatively 
the  same,  when  they  have  bereaved  hearts  that  yearn  for 
sympathy.  And  admitting  that  there  was  such  a  vast 
difference  in  their  social  castes  and  pecuniary  positions, 
he  felt  irresistibly  inclined  to  make  a  proposition  of 
marriage.  He  knew  that  he  was  inferior  to  her  in  re- 
finement, but  she  had  already  stooped  to  an  equality 
with  him.  She  said  that  her  blighted  heart  was  hungry 
from  loss  of  companionship  and  sympathy  and  love — 
and  might  not  he  become  an  acceptable  substitute  for 
what  death  had  taken  away  ?  Still  so  beautiful,  and  so 
charming  in  the  estimation  of  all,  she  could  gladden  his 
future  by  her  gentle  presence  and  her  sweet  smiles. 

His  head  was  filled  with  entirely  new  ideas,  and  his 
heart  pleasantly  throbbed  not  very  unlike  it  did  when 
he  first  learned  to  love  the  maiden  who  became  his  wife. 
Time  might  have  cooled  the  blood  in  his  veins  to  a  less 
violent  heat ;  but  he  was  imbued  with  the  ardor  of  old ; 
and,  stimulating  his  courage  by  a  perpetual  recollection 
of  having  heard  it  said  that  a  faint  heart  never  won  a 
fair  lady,  he  one  evening  summoned  every  incentive  for 
resolution,  and  said  something  that  startled  Lady  Levas- 
seur;  but  not  quite  so  much  as  her  answer  astonished  him. 

"  Mr.  Denton,"  said  she,  "  I  esteem  you  very  much. 
You  have  been  extremely  kind  to  me.  Both  you  and 
your  daughters  seem  near  to  my  heart ;  and  I  sincerely 
trust  that  the  friendship  may  grow  and  strengthen  to 
the  end  of  our  lives.  I  am  also  willing  and  anxious  to 
prove  my  regard  in  all  possible  ways.  But  there  is  an 
insurmountable  obstacle  which  deters  me  from  ever  mar- 
rying again.  Mr.  Denton,  I  can  not  be  your  wife  !" 

Nevertheless,  he  might  hopefully  wait  and  see. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


LADY  LEVASSEUK  received  no 
tidings  from  the  Major  during  a 
lapse  of  sixteen  years  after  he 
went  away  across  the  sea  with 
Madame  Zorah  and  Leonore. 
That  was  a  long  time  for  a  faith- 
fully loving  wife  to  wait  with 
the  undying  belief  that  her  re- 
creant husband  would  return ; 
but  she  still  continued  to  cherish 
that  fond  hope,  and  frequently 
consoled  herself  by  repeatedly 
murmuring,  "  He  will  come  back  by  and  by !  My  spirit 
shall  not  leave  him.  The  old  love  must  triumph  when 
his  heart  grows  sad !" 

And  did  the  Major  continue  to  reflect  upon  the  cruelty 
in  robbing  his  deserted  wife  of  her  child  ?  or  was  he  en- 
tirely lost  to  all  sense  of  reflection  in  the  presence  of 
Leonore?  Ah,  he  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  past; 
but  never  for  a  moment  suspected  that  Leonore  was 
holding  her  own  offspring  in  her  arms,  while  his  wife's 
child  had  been  cast  out  into  the  unknown  world.  That 


306  WOOING    IX    VAIN. 

was  a  terrible  reality  which  would  sooner  or  later  startle 
his  very  soul.  No  matter ;  he  was  faithfully  keeping 
his  oath,  so  that  the  future  might  bring  its  burden  of 
woe. 

And  Farmer  Denton  was  not  the  only  man  who  asked 
Lady  Levasseur  to  marry.  For,  if  I  am  truthfully  in- 
formed, there  are  many  gentlemen  now  in  the  City  of 
St.  Paul  who  still  have  a  very  vivid  recollection  of  the 
rich  Southern  widow,  or  the  beautiful  Lady  with  the 
"  Angel  Heart,"  as  she  was  familiarly  called  by  the  male 
and  female  gossips  who  courted  her  society. 

Among  her  most  enterprising  suitors  I  shall  vaguely 
mention  a  certain  middle-aged  bachelor  of  the  Ion, 
whose  exchequer  had  been  frightfully  depleted  by  reck- 
lessly "  handling  and  carrying  choice  town  lots "  in 
the  furore  of '57,  when  speculative  excitement  enriched 
some  and  impoverished  a  great  many  more.  Failing 
to  establish  himself  as  the  proprietor  of  the  beautiful 
mother's  hand  and  fortune,  the  philoprogenitive  mas- 
culine cunningly  transferred  his  addresses  to  the  pretty 
daughter,  who  was  then  verging  into  that  adolescent 
period  of  existence  when  extravagantly  romantic  love- 
dreams  sometimes  sweetly  prelude  a  harvest  of  bitter 
tears. 

At  that  time  Fleurette  was  popularly  designated  as 
the  "  Beauty  of  St.  Paul."  And  the  suggestive  sobri- 
quet seemed  to  be  very  fitly  applied.  But  the  aspiring 
bachelor  was  only  one  among  the  throng  who  eagerly 
sought  her  smiles  with  an  ardent  desire  that  she  might 
be  prevailed  upon  to  wed.  Yet,  with  a  single  exception, 
none  of  them  were  likely  to  realize  their  wishes  in  that 
direction.  There  was  but  one  gentleman  who  particu- 
larly interested  Fleurette.  And  he  remains  single  to 
this  day.  Some  trifling  incident  caused  a  coolness  be- 


THE    WHISPERED    WARNING.  307 

tween  them,  which  was  not  dissipated  before  an  unex- 
pected disclosure  in  her  family  relationship  effectually 
turned  the  current  of  circumstances  controlling  the 
future  of  her  life.  Doubtless,  that  event  deterred  her 
from  finding  a  husband  in  St.  Paul. 

But  where  was  Major  Levasseur,  the  accomplished 
and  erratic  grandson  of  the  proud  old  Marquis  Dupont- 
avisse  ?  In  London,  in  Paris — everywhere  that  folly 
and  caprice  suggested.  He  did  not  court  repose,  but 
rather  sought  excitement,  and  even  dissipation,  to  avoid 
repentance  and  shut  out  remorse,  which  were  frequently 
suggested  by  something  like  a  whisper  in  his  ear,  that 
breathed  "Beware  of  impending  retribution!"  There- 
fore, his  happiness  was  not  without  its  alloy,  while  he 
seemed  so  merry  and  gay.  And  at  times,  when  quiet 
and  all  alone,  he  could  not  help  recurring  to  the  past. 
He  would  think  of  Lady  Levasseur,  and  yearn  to  see  her 
once  more.  But  there  was  a  dark,  broad  gulf  between 
them,  and  a  voice  of  grief  came  on  the  wind  that  swept 
over  the  blue  waters  of  the  sea,  while  a  frightful  spectre 
of  infidelity  and  wrong  rose  up  with,  an  exulting  grin  to 
make  him  shudder  with  the  reflection  that  Lady  Levas- 
seur's  beautiful  head  could  never  again  be  pillowed  upon 
his  bosom  as  it  did  before  Leonore's  exquisite  form  re- 
posed in  his  arms ! 

And  for  some  reason  he  never  revealed  the  thoughts 
which  were  passing  through  his  mind  when  he  sat  with 
Leonore's  child  upon  his  knee,  as  he  frequently  did, 
gazing  almost  mournfully  into  its  face.  Probably  he 
was  thinking  of  Lady  Levasseur,  whom  he  supposed  to 
be  its  mother,  and  reproaching  himself  for  having  been 
instrumental  in  separating  it  from  her  in  that  cruel  way. 
Perhaps  he  was  sorry  that  they  had  taught  it  to  call 
Leonore,  mother.  He  may  have  experienced  deep  regret 


308  INCEPTION    OF   RUIN. 

for  all  that  had  been  done,  and  secretly  devised  a  plan 
of  future  atonement  by  eventually  reuniting  mother  and 
child ! 

Then,  too,  they  named  it  Irene.  And  he  did  not  like 
that ! 

There  was  something  in  the  father's  heart  which 
neither  Leonore  nor  her  discerning  grandma  could 
perceive  when  he  insisted  that  Irene  should  have  an 
education  properly  fitting  her  to  be  the  heiress  of 
wealth  and  position.  And,  after  receiving  instruction 
at  one  of  the  best  seminaries  of  learning  for  the  very 
young,  she  was  placed  in  a  convent,  to  remain  until  her 
studies  were  entirely  completed,  before  encountering 
the  great  world. 

But  alas,  for  her  mother,  Leonore !  She  was  no 
longer  a  timid  girl.  Launched  into  the  gayeties  of  a 
fashionable  life  with  but  little  restraint,  and  lured  on 
by  flattery  and  impelled  by  the  promptings  of  her 
grandma,  she  soon  became  a  frivolous  coquette.  Her 
beauty  attracted  the  notice  and  elicited  the  admiration 
of  the  titled  and  the  great,  until  her  love  for  Levasseur 
was  nearly  swallowed  up  in  the  fascination  of  other 
delights.  And  Levasseur  was  quick  to  mark  the  change 
in  her  heart ;  for  he  wanted  that  all  to  himself.  But  his 
remonstrance  came  too  late.  Madame  incited  her  on  at 
the  very  moment  when  she  should  have  raised  a  barrier 
of  restraint. 

Then  the  irritated  man  put  on  an  air  of  authority, 
and  said  that  his  will  was  law.  From  the  indulgent 
lover  and  doating  husband,  he  ascended  to  the  impe- 
rious lord,  whose  commands  must  be  obeyed,  right  or 
wrong.  And,  when  the  first  unkind  words  once  were 
spoken,  it  was  but  an  easy  transition  from  peace  to  re- 
taliative  discord. 


A    FATAL    SCHEME.  309 

"  She  shall  not  tamely  submit  to  harsh  coercion !"  in- 
terposed Madame.  "She  is  your  wife,  and  not  your 
slave — and  must  be  treated  with  the  deference  due  her 
position." 

Levasseur's  ire  was  then  roused  beyond  endurance. 
He  mio-ht  have  borne  resentment  from  Leonore  with 

CT 

subsequent  pardon  in  return.  But  when  the  old  lady 
became  defiant  and  urged  belligerous  opposition  to  his 
wish,  he  could  not  restrain  himself  any  longer,  and  per- 
emptorily decided  that  she  should  retire  into  seclusion. 
He  commanded  and  she  might  seemingly  obey.  Never- 
theless, he  would  soon  realize  the  probability  of  extremes 
meeting  extremes.  The  sequel  proved  not  only  disas- 
trous, but  fatally  so. 

Casting  aside  her  better  feelings,  Leonore  very  pliant- 
ly  coincided  with  Madame's  unwise  suggestion  of  trick 
and  stratagem.  And,  utterly  forgetful  of  the  insecurity 
of  their  position,  they  rashly  conspired  and  plotted  to 
outwit  him. 

There  was  also  some  jealousy  at  the  bottom  of  Levas- 
seur's displeasure.  A  young  nobleman,  whose  extrava- 
gance had  occasioned  much  scandal  in  Parisian  society, 
was  the  principal  cause.  And  when  he  assumed  an 
arbitrary  control  of  Leonore's  freedom,  her  grandma 
sought  the  profligate's  interposition.  She  told  him  that 
Levasseur  was  a  perfect  tyrant.  He  had  imprisoned 
Leonore  against  her  will,  and  that,  too,  when  she  was 
nearly  dying  to  attend  the  next  grand  bal  d'opera.  Could 
the  young  nobleman  devise  a  scheme  for  the  gratifica- 
tion of  Leonore  ? 

Highly  elated  at  the  marked  preference  shown  him 
from  one  so  fair,  her  unscrupulous  admirer  arranged  his 
plans.  But  the  Major's  valet,  an  honest  sort  of  man, 
was  not  long  in  discerning  his  master's  position;  and, 


310  THE    FINAL   EXTREME. 

without  suspecting  any  serious  result,  promptly  notified 
him  of  the  true  state  of  his  domestic  affairs. 

Reluctantly  believing  what  he  heard,  the  aggrieved 
husband  and  Leonore  wrere  soon  closeted  alone.  He 
accused  her  of  deceiving  him,  and  also  hinted  that  his 
forbearance  might  soon  end — and  then  she  would  have 
no  home.  Thereupon  she  confessed  all,  and  endeavored 
to  mitigate  the  offense  by  charging  her  grandma  with 
the  instigation  and  encouragement  of  everything  she 
had  done. 

"  I'll  put  an  end  to  that !"  muttered  Levasseur,  taking 
his  idol  in  his  arms.  "  I  at  last  perceive  how  it  is. 
You  and  your  grandma  must  separate  !  I  can  not 
permit  her  to  alienate  your  love  from  me.  We  wrill 
leave  this  place  and  go  elsewhere,  to  begin  happiness 
anew !" 

Mutual  kisses  followed  what  he  said.  But,  upon 
raising  their  eyes,  they  perceived  Madame  standing  be- 
fore them,  with  defiance  and  mockery  in  her  face. 

"I  will  go,  sir!"  she  sneered.  "We  shall  instantly 
quit  the  house.  But,  remember  the  conditions  of  your 
oath  !  Come,  child,  we  will  pack  up  and  depart !" 

Leonore  rose  to  follow  her  grandma,  and  he  could 
scarcely  believe  his  eyes. 

"  Surely  you  would  not  leave  me !"  hoarsely  exclaimed 
the  astonished  man. 

"  If  grandma  goes,  so  shall  I !" 

"  And  is  this  the  end  of  my  dream  ?" 

"  I  can  not  disobey  her  /" 

"  Ha,  ha !  Xow  you  see  what  your  unmanly  conduct 
has  done  !"  cackled  Madame,  with  delight  at  Leonore's 
prompt  decision. 

"  As  your  husband,  I  can  compel  you  to  remain !"  he 
proudly  said. 


FORSAKEN,  PENITENT   MAN.  311 

Madame  cackled  much  louder  when  she  replied : 
"  Husband !  Ha,  ha !  We  deny  that  now !" 

"  Silence,  woman !  Leonore,  I  am  addressing  you. 
Think  well  before  you  act !" 

"I  can  not  think!  Whatever  grandma  says,  I 
shall  do !" 

"  You  hear  what  she  says  !  You  hear,  Major  Levas- 
seur !  She  refuses  to  be  your  slave !" 

"  Leonore !     Speak !" 

Madame  motioned  to  influence  her  reply,  and  she 
tremulously  answered :  "  I  shall  go !" 

"  I'll  hear  no  more !"  stamped  Levasseur.  "  Go ! 
Both  of  you  leave  my  sight  forever !"  His  rage  was 
terrible;  and  he  instantly  shut  himself  up  in  his  cham- 
ber, to  avoid  choking  Madame,  or  perpetrating  violence 
in  some  other  way. 

And  at  last  Levasseur  was  alone ! ! 

From  his  window  he  saw  a  voiture  driven  down  the 
street,  and  in  that  vehicle  rode  Madame  and  Leonore ! 

"  Fool !  Fool !  that  I  have  been  !  For  her  I  deserted 
my  wife  sixteen  years  ayo,  and  now  she  has  forsaken  me  f" 

The  man  of  the  world  bowed  his  head  in  agonizing 
thought.  Thus  far  he  had  been  floating  smoothly  doAvn 
the  current  of  time,  and  lo  !  a  dark  abyss  of  despair  was 
now  yawning  to  receive  him.  Memory  was  busy  in  his 
brain  and  in  his  heart.  He  went  away  back  to  infancy, 
where  a  thousand  sweet  fancies  delighted  him  then. 
But  alas,  their  melodies  were  silenced  with  the  lapse  of 
years !  The  stirring  events  of  early  manhood  came  up 
vividly  in  his  mind,  and  before  him  were  two  pairs  of 
eyes.  One  dark  and  luminous — the  other  mild  and 
blue !  The  dark  eyes  seemed  to  glare  at  him  with  ma- 
lignant scorn,  and  those  of  blue  looked  mournfully — but 
oh,  so  kind !" 


THE    SUNBEAM.  313 

Courtship,  marriage — wife !  And  he  murmured  a 
name  which  he  had  not  spoken  for  many  years.  He  re- 
peated that  name  in  a  tone  of  sorrow  and  with  an  accent 
of  grief! 

The  gay  world  did  not  hear  the  groans  of  that  peni- 
tent man  !  The  past  was  all  love's  delusion,  ending  in 
bitter  remorse.  Daylight  vanished  and  left  him  alone 
in  the  dark.  But  a  veil  fell  from  his  mental  vision  and 
let  in  a  terrible  light ! 

There  he  sat,  leaning  upon  the  table  all  night,  and  in 
the  morning  his  attitude  remained  precisely  the  same ! 
It  seemed  like  the  sleep  of  death  ! 

The  sun  shone  in  at  the  window,  and  one  broad, 
bright  beam  rested  upon  the  uncovered  head  of  the 
sleeping,  penitent  man,  whose  soul  was  then  away  in 
another  land,  dreaming  of  happiness  to  come ! 

The  noonday  was  fair  in  France,  and  no  morning 
clouds  were  in  the  steel-blue  sky  of  Minnesota.  And 
while  the  forsaken  man  slept  in  Paris,  his  faithful  wife 
and  her  adopted  daughter  were  gathering  flowers  still 
wet  with  dew  from  among  the  rose-bushes  and  the  vines 
adorning  their  residence  in  the  elevated  suburbs  of  St. 
Paul,  five  thousand  miles  away ! 

It  was  spring-time ;  and  two  little  robins,  which 
came  close  to  the  arbor  sweetly  warbling  their  love- 
notes  in  the  fragrant  air,  filled  Lady  Levasseur's  heart 
with  sad  memories  of  the  past ;  for  upon  entering  the 
house  she  touched  the  keys  of  the  organ,  and  in  a 
moment  her  own  voice  and  that  of  Fleurette's  joined  in 
an  anthem  for  Heaven  to  hear !  And  when  the  sounds  of 
.melody  died  away,  the  mother  knelt  in  prayer  while  the 
daughter's  eyes  were  moist  with  tears. 

"  Oh,  ma,  why  do  you  so  often  repeat  that  prayer  ?" 

"  Because  I  believe  that  God  will  answer  it  by  and  by !" 
14 


314  COMING    OF    LIGHT. 

But  spring  and  its  blossoms  soon  disappeared  for  sum- 
mer to  bring  forth  the  fruit,  and  September  had  come  to 
ripen  the  husbandman's  products  of  toil,  when  one  day 
Sancho  was  heard  anxiously  interrogating  Dinah. 

"  My  lub,"  said  he,  "  whar  am  missus,  I  shud  like  tu 
know  ?  Yars  a  letter  cum  fur  an  ans'r !"  And  then  he 
thrust  his  old  gray  head  in  at  the  open  window,  saying, 
"  Dis  am  wery  'tickl'r,  and  mus  be  'tended  tu  now !" 

Lady  Levasseur  broke  the  seal  and  read : 

"MADAME — I  have  been  sent  by  Messrs.  Crane  & 
Burr,  attorneys-at-law,  in  the  City  of  New  York,  to  con- 
fer with  you  in  a  matter  of  deep  importance,  and  take 
this  method  of  requesting  you  to  name  an  hour  when  it 
would  best  suit  your  convenience  for  me  to  call  in  per- 
son. Respectfully  yours,  etc. 

HENRY  DOWNS." 

"  Here,  Fleurette !"  said  Lady  Levasseur,  trembling. 
"  Write !  I  can  not  hold  the  pen !  Say  that  I  shall  be 
pleased  to  have  him  call  immediately." 

Mr.  Henry  Downs  soon  appeared. 

"I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  any  business  with 
Messrs.  Crane  &  Burr,"  began  Lady  Levasseur.  "  In- 
deed, I  do  not  remember  hearing  the  name  of  the  firm 
before — and " 

"  Major  Levasseur  was  a  client  of  theirs,"  broke  in 
Mr.  Downs.  "  And  it  is  of  him  that  I  have  been  sent 
to  confer !" 

"  My  husband  !"  she  gasped,  and  reeled  in  her  chair, 
with  the  expectation  of  some  fatal  news. 

"  The  same  !"  continued  Mr.  Downs.  "  And  may  I 
asK  if  you  are  familiar  with  the  events  of  his  life  since 
you  parted  ?" 

A  mournful  movement  of  her  head  intimated  "  No !" 
She  could  not  have  spoken  if  she  tried. 


THE  LAWYER'S  MISSION.  315 

"  Then,  perhaps,  it  will  not  be  uninteresting  for  you 
to  know  that  the  Major  quarreled  with  Leonore  and 
her  grandmother  only  a  few  months  ago.  Pardon  me, 
if  I  unintentionally  wound  your  feelings.  The  difficulty 
was  a  serious  one,  and  they  both  abruptly  left  him  as  a 
final  termination  to  the  affair.  His  daughter — Irene — 
your  child —  Perhaps  I  am  too  blunt.  In  our  profession, 
it  is  necessary  to  be  as  plain  as  possible.  Well,  your 
daughter  Irene  was  still  at  the  convent  where  she  had 
been  some  years  for  the  purpose  of  finishing  her  educa- 
tion, and  he  removed  her  the  following  day,  with  a  sud- 
denly-conceived resolution  of  bringing  her  with  him  to 
America.  The  Major's  object  was  to  find  you  if  possi- 
ble, and  endeavor  to  establish  the  proper  feeling  and 
natural  relationship  between  mother  and  child.  He 
notified  his  attorneys,  Messrs.  Crane  &  Burr,  to  dis- 
cover your  abode,  in  anticipation  of  his  intended  and 
speedy  arrival.  The  hostile  position  of  the  North  and 
the  South  rendered  it  next  to  impossible  for  us — I  should 
say  impossible  for  my  employers — to  ascertain  anything 
definite  from  correspondents  in  New  Orleans,  where  you 
were  supposed  to  be,  if  still  alive.  Our  inability  to 
accomplish  anything  did  not  satisfy  the  Major.  So, 
placing  your  daughter  under  the  protection  of  an  old 
friend  of  his — in  Louisville,  I  believe — he  determined  to 
visit  New  Orleans  in  person,  and  induce  you  to  come 
North  for  her  sake,  and  remain  here  pending  a  termi- 
nation of  the  war.  And,  without  listening  to  the  re- 
monstrance  of  any  one,  he  hurried  off  on  the  hazardous 
journey.  But  shortly  after  he  left  the  Union  lines  his 
lifeless  body  was  found  among  those  slain  in  a  skir- 
mish between  a  detachment  of  our  forces  and  an  inde- 
pendent troop  of  rangers,  or  mounted  bushwackers, 
who  were  plundering  and  murdering  indiscriminately, 


316  SORROW    OF   THE    "  A>TGEL    HEART." 

and  totally  regardless  of  the  laws  of  peace  or  the  rules 
of  war." 

*  Dead !"  shrieked  Lady  Levasseur.  She  heard  no 
more,  until  recovering  from  her  emotion — when  she 
murmured,  "  Then,  after  all,  this  is  the  final  answer  to 
my  oft-repeated  and  hopeful  prayer !  He  is  dead !  And 
they  killed  him  while  he  was  seeking  me !  O,  why  did 
not  God  spare  him  a  little  longer?  But  proceed,  Mr. 
Downs.  Where  is  his  body  ?  Where  is  my  child  ?" 

"  Ma,  dear,  I  am  here !"  whispered  Fleurette,  with 
blanched  cheeks  and  a  trembling  heart. 

"  Not  you,  my  darling  !  My  own  babe,  whom  they 
robbed  me  of  before  it  could  realize  a  mother's  smile. 
Mr.  Downs,  where  is  she  now ;  and  what  has  been  done 
with  the  remains  of  her  father,  Major  Levasseur  ?" 

"  I  have  come  to  tell  you  that,"  resumed  Mr.  Downs. 
"  The  captain  of  the  Union  skirmishers — a  brother  of 
mine,  and  formerly  in  the  employ  of  Messrs.  Crane  & 
Burr — recognized  the  body  from  papers  found  in  the 
pockets,  and  also  from  a  watch  and  a  miniature  portrait 
of  yourself,  which  were  known  to  have  been  in  his  pos- 
session before  quitting  the  camp,  a  few  days  previous 
to  his  death.  In  consequence  of  a  serious  mutilation  of 
the  features  there  was,  at  first,  some  doubt  as  to  their 
identity.  But  nearly  every  article  of  clothing — even 
his  boots  and  his  hat — were  identified  by  persons  who 
had  seen  him  alive.  Here  is  a  ring  taken  from  his 
finger.  Do  you  recognize  it  ?" 

"I  do!"  she  gasped.  "It  was  a  gift  of  mine  soon 
after  our  marriage!  And  he  has  worn  it  ever  since 
then." 

She  pressed  the  ring  to  her  lips  with  a  long,  deep  sigh. 

"  And  here  is  the  watch,  and  the  miniature,  and  the 
other  articles  !  Do  you  also  recognize  them  ?" 


"PUT    FLOWERS    ON    HIS    GRAVE!"  317 

"  Yes,  yes  !  They  are  all  his  !  But  here  is  another 
portrait  in  the  back  of  the  case !  I  wonder  whose  it  can 
be  ?  Hah  !  Take  it  away !  That  is  not  mine !  It  is 
hers  /"  and,  with  a  shudder,  she  dropped  the  miniature 
case  upon  the  floor. 

"  Oh,  what  a  beautiful  lady  !"  cried  Fleurette,  gather- 
ing up  the  case  and  gazing  at  the  miniature.  "  Only 
see  what  magnificent  black  eyes  !  Ma,  do  you  know 
who  she  is  ?" 

Lady  Levasseur  had  never  told  Fleurette  the  full  par- 
ticulars of  her  own  sad  story. 

"  Put  it  away — out  of  my  sight — anywhere  !"  she 
groaned,  while  averting  her  face. 

Fleurette  was  amazed,  but  said  no  more.  And  yet 
she  felt  alarmed. 

"  Then  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  body  is  Major  Le- 
vasseur's,"  observed  Mr.  Downs.  "  And  we  desire  that 
you  may  choose  a  place  for  its  final  burial.  It  has  been 
embalmed  by  some  chemical  process,  and  awaits  your 
order.  I  might  say  that  the  captain,  my  brother,  dis- 
covered your  residence  here,  in  St.  Paul,  from  a  rebel 
prisoner  captured  on  the  same  day  of  your  husband's 
death.  But  how,  I  am  unable,  as  yet,  to  explain." 

"Bring  my  husband  to  St.  Paul;  and  we  will  bury 
him  in  the  quiet  cemetery  beyond  the  hill  there,  where  I 
can  cultivate  summer  flowers  upon  his  grave,  until  God 
permits  me  to  lie  beside  him  forever !  And  also  bring 
my  child.  But  I  fear  that  she  will  not  love  me,  even 
then.  Oh,  Mr.  Downs,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  what 
more  to  say !" 

"  Cheer  up,  my  lady.  Your  wishes  shall  all  be  grati- 
fied so  far  as  we  have  the  power.  I  will  telegraph 
immediately.  And  yet,  upon  reflection,  I  think  it  will 
be  better  for  me  to  go  in  person  and  bring  your 


318  SANCHO    AND    DIXA1I. 

daughter,  if  we  can  find  her,  with  the  corpse  of  your 
husband.  I  shall  communicate  with  you  in  the  shortest 
possible  time.  Adieu  !" 

Sancho  was  a  silent  witness  and  a  sad-faced  auditor 
of  the  distressing  interview  between  his  mistress  and 
Henry  Downs.  He  had  never  been  denied  her  confi- 
dence in  anything  proper  for  him  to  see  and  hear.  And 
that  privilege  not  only  elicited  his  appreciation,  but 
imbued  him  with  a  profound  respect  and  devoted  regard 
for  her.  He  deemed  it  a  great  honor  to  be  her  confi- 
dant and  adviser  so  far  as 'his  humble  reason  and  sus- 
ceptible heart  might  serve  to  lighten  her  sorrows.  So, 
having  conducted  the  visitor  out,  and  earnestly  express- 
ing an  audible  wish  that  "  de  Lor  ud  bress  im  fur  de 
good  ob  de  kaus,"  he  repaired  to  the  kitchen  where 
Dinah  was  impatiently  waiting  to  "  hea'yr  what  de  ko- 
moshum  was  all  bout !" 

"  Ah,  my  lub,  sumf 'n  orf '1  is  hap'nd.  De  gem'men's 
frum  Nu'york,  and  Massa's  gwan  tu  ez  long  home,  whar 
we  mus  all  fotch  up  when  Proveduns  says  to  kum.  An 
poor  Miss  Flurey's  now  kry'n  kaze  Missuses'  own  dart'r 
spects  to  step  in  er  place." 

"  She  shant  do  nuflin  ob  de  sort,"  wept  Dinah. 
"  Flurey  musn't  be  shuv'd  orph  fur  no  udder  dart'rs 
wen  she's  all  tuck't  up  so  swete  in  Mussuses'  buz'm  like 
dem  brite  cheerabims  wid  dar  mudder  ang'ls  in  de  heav- 
enly sky." 

Thus  the  servants'  sympathy  already  ran  in  favor  of 
Fleurette,  whom  their  own  love  had  inseparably  united 
with  the  very  existence  of  Lady  Levasseur.  And  while 
discussing  the  matter  thoroughly  with  themselves,  they 
unconsciously  resolved  to  shut  their  hearts  against  Irene. 

"  What  ef  she  am  Massa's  chile  and  Missus  wus  er 
mudder  ?"  theorized  Sancho.  "  Wont  she  be  like  im,  an 


MOONBEAMS  FROM  ABOVE.  319 

not  a  tall  like  er  ?  Didn't  e  lope  wid  clem  ar  wicked 
wim'n  an  leab  Missuses'  harte  tu  bust  ?  Massa  wus  a 
bad  man !" 

"  Hush  !"  started  Dinah.  "  De  speerits  ob  ded  1'ouks 
kan  hear  what  de  liv'n  say  bout  dem  art'r  dey's  unkon- 
nected  frum  dar  bod'ez.  Don't  de  preach' rs  zort  us  tu 
pra  fur  does  who  am  in  de  kingdumkumdum '?" 

"  Ah,  you'z  bin  read'n  sum  dem  ar  books  what's  writ- 
ten by  sectariums  who  b'liev  dar's  no  udder  road  but  de 
wun  dey  am  trab'ling  demsev's  !" 

And  Farmer  Denton  was  pardonable  for  frequently 
saying :  "  Darkies  will  be  darkies,  no  matter  how  white 
they  are !"  But  in  that  declaration  with  Sancho,  he 
somewhat  contradicted  his  arguments  in  reference  to 
the  force  of  example  attending  life. 

That  night  the  gentle  moonbeams  calmly  watched 
over  the  residence  of  Lady  Levasseur ;  and  the  rose- 
bushes, the  green  leaves,  and  the  creeping  vines  seemed 
to  smile  in  sweet  response,  while  Fleurette  lovingly 
nestled  in  her  arms,  and  both  were  wrapt  in  slumber. 


Ft.  Snelling  Flag-lower. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


FARMER  PENTON  and  his  four 
daughters  were  all  absent  when 
Henry  Downs  appeared  in  St. 
Paul.  They  had  gone  to  visit 
their  relatives,  and  old  acquaint- 
ances and  friends,  near  West- 
field,  New  Jersey;  and  Lady 
Levasseur  experienced  great 
need  of  the  good  man's  assist- 
ance and  advice  in  the  mo- 
mentous event  of  her  husband's 
burial  and  the  reception  of  her  long-lost  daughter,  whom 
she  still  continued  to  think  of  as  a  mere  child,  without 
actually  realizing  the  fact  that  during  such  a  prolonged 
lapse  of  time,  Irene  must  have  matured  into  a  young 
woman.  But  the  farmer  had  not  yet  learned  from 
Lady  Levasseur  the  exact  nature  of  that  insurmountable 
obstacle  to  her  marrying  again,  which  she  alluded  to 
when  he  first  asked  her  to  become  his  wife ;  and  the 
melancholy  denouement  about  transpiring,  would  cer- 
tainly astound  him  when  he  and  his  daughters  came 
home. 

14* 


322  DIGGIXG   A    USELESS   GRAVE. 

However,  there  was  no  time  to  lose ;  and  Sancho  was 
authorized  to  negotiate  for  a  grave  in  the  cemetery. 

"  Good  gracious !"  exclaimed  the  sexton.  "  What 
can  Lady  Levasseur  want  with  a  grave  ?" 

"  Massa  am  kum'n  home  ded !"  replied  Sancho.  "  De 
rebbels  kill'd  im  when  he  wus  gwine  to  fotch  missus 
frum  Orl'ins  !  Yeas,  dey's  kill'n  eb'ry  boddy  now,  cept 
us  folks,  yar  in  Sent  Paul !" 

So  the  wondering  sexton  went  and  dug  a  grave, 
while  Lady  Levasseur  was  all  excitement  and  expecta- 
tion. But  she  found  time  to  review  the  past  and  to  re- 
live in  imagination.  She  had  never  ceased  to  think 
fondly  of  her  husband ;  and  the  recollection  of  that 
period  of  marriage  bliss  was  not  any  less  vivid  because 
of  his  cruel  desertion.  The  enormity  of  her  wrongs 
would  never  dim  the  bright  remembrance  that  he  was 
once  so  good  and  so  kind.  But  all  those  long  years  of 
sorrow,  of  hope  and  prayer,  had  brought  her  only  a 
dismal  coffin,  with  the  sad  remnant  of  life  and  love. 
And  yet  she  fervently  prayed  that  God  might  pardon 
him  as  she  had  done. 

Then  came  intelligence  that  on  a  certain  day  the 
corpse  would  arrive,  and  also  an  announcement  that 
Irene  could  not  be  found.  The  Major  had  neglected  to 
leave  her  address  with  his  attorneys,  and  perhaps  it 
would  take  some  time  to  discover  where  she  was ;  yet 
they  would  certainly  find  her  after  his  remains  were 
put  away  in  the  ground. 

But  the  joyful  sadness  that  filled  Lady  Levasseur's 
heart  was  inspired  by  emotions  more  tenderly  connected 
with  the  expected  corpse  of  the  father  than  the  recovery 
of  her  child.  Indeed,  all  her  maternal  feelings  had 
blended  so  sweetly  with  the  filial  response  of  Fleurette, 
that  she  really  experienced  no  sincere  delight  in  the 


"ONLY  ONE  BAY  MORE!"  323 

promised  restoration  of  Irene.  And  under  the  circum- 
stances, after  so  long  a  separation  from  the  one  which 
she  saw  for  only  a  brief  period  in  its  infant  form,  and 
since  Fleurette  was  so  closely  and  sympathizing^  iden- 
tified with  the  only  sunshine  in  her  heart  for  so  many 
years,  how  could  she  feel  otherwise  ? 

There  was  no  room  for  a  new  idol  in  Lady  Levas- 
seur's  bosom,  while  occupied  entirely  with  love  for 
Fleurette  and  in  mourning  for  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band. And  though  sixteen  years  had  gone  since  her 
head  was  pillowed  in  rapture  upon  his  breathing  bosom, 
even  the  expected  corpse,  coming  back  to  her  despoiled 
of  its  life  and  its  soul,  would  be  a  melancholy  but  tan- 
gible consolation  to  her  sorrowing  heart.  It  seemed 
like  some  precious  balm  for  her  blighted  love. 

"  He  will  soon  be  here  !"  she  mournfully  smiled,  while 
clasping  Fleurette  in  her  arms.  "  And  then,  at  last,  I 
shall  be  permitted  to  plant  flowers  on  his  grave !" 

To-morrow !  Only  one  day  more !  The  sun  rose 
brightly,  the  hours  swiftly  sped,  and  soon  the  western 
horizon  was  ablaze  with  the  gorgeous  rays  of  paiting 
light. 

Lady  Levasseur  and  Fleurette  stood  in  the  piazza 
without,  peering  away  through  distant  space  at  a  point 
where  the  faint  outlines  of  hill  and  water  seemed  to 
touch  the  sky.  But  they  did  not  see  the  house-tops 
and  chimneys,  nor  the  church  spires  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  city,  spread  out  beneath  them.  Nor  did  they 
dwell  in  rapturous  contemplation  of  the  magnificent 
view.  Dayton's  Bluff  to  the  left,  with  its  grand  villas 
and  smiling  verdure  overlooking  the  mighty  river,  and 
the  expanded  sand-bar  of  la  point  basse,  upon  the  other 
side,  were  then  of  equal  interest  to  the  anxious  watch- 
ers in  the  vine-clad  piazza.  They  were  looking  out 


324  "GOD  is  ALWAYS  NEAR!" 

upon  the  furtherest  shimmer  of  water  still  bright  from 
ruddy  tints  in  the  luminous  air. 

But  the  deepening  twilight  soon  began  to  obscure 
their  vision;  and  then  they  stood  closer  together  in 
silence,  with  hearts  audibly  beating,  until  at  length  a 
small  speck  appeared  upon  the  still  bright  bosom  of  the 
distant  river,  and,  swiftly  rounding  the  great  bar  oppo- 
site the  bluff,  gradually  neared  the  city.  Presently  the 
howling  signal  of  a  "  white-collar  "  steamer  came  up  to 

O  O  * 

them  on  the  quiet  air  over  the  top  of  the  city,  and  then 
went  reverberating  with  loud  echoes  far  away  among 
the  great  hills  along  the  water's  side. 

"  He  comes !"  whispered  the  mother.  "  Do  not  with- 
draw your  hand.  I  must  have  it  hei-e  in  mine,  to  give 
me  strength.  Oh,  my  heart  is  fluttering  so !  Try  to 
steady  me,  darling!  There!  Be  near  me  when  he 
arrives !  Close,  close  as  you  can  get !  And  do  not  let 
me  die  with  emotion  !" 

"Yes,  ma ;  you  may  rest  upon  me !  I  shall  not  leave 
your  side !  And  remember,  as  you  so  often  tell  me, 
that  '  God  is  always  near !'  " 

Sancho  and  the  undertaker,  with  a  conveyance,  were 
upon  the  levee  when  the  steamer  came  in.  And  there 
was  a  long  box,  which  the  strong  deck  hands  lifted  in 
silence  and  with  care.  Poor  Sancho  was  weeping ;  but 
in  the  darkness  none  could  see  his  tears. 

Another  steamer  unexpectedly  arrived  within  the 
hour.  Farmer  Denton  and  his  daughters  came  on  board 
of  that.  And  among  the  passengers  were  a  lady  and  a 
gentleman,  both  strangers  in  St.  Paul. 

"  Will  you  accept  the  hospitality  of  my  house  ?"  said 
Mr.  Denton,  addressing  the  stranger,  with  whom  he  ap- 
peared to  have  formed  a  slight  acquaintance  on  the 
way.  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  entertain  you,  inasmuch 


THE    STRANGE    GUESTS.  325 

as  there  is  no  chance  at  a  hotel.  So  many  tourists  and 
business  men  are  in  town  just  now  that  the  public 
houses  are  all  more  than  full.  At  least  I  heard  so  a 
moment  since.  We've  got  as  large  hotels  as  you  can 
find  in  any  city  of  twenty  times  the  size,  and  several  of 
them  at  that ;  but  this  is  the  greatest  place  that  I  ever 
read  of  for  tourists  in  quest  of  health.  You  never  saw 
the  like !  And  the  fun  of  it  is  that  they  all  go  away 
benefited  from  the  climate.  Oh,  such  air!  Minnesota 
beats  the  world  for  that !  But  come  with  me ;  and  I'll 
show  you  the  style  in  which  we  North-western  settlers 
manage  to  live !  Come,  girls,  this  way !  Mind  the 
gang-plank,  now,  and  be  very  careful  that  some  of  you 
don't  tumble  into  the  river,  like  that  rogue,  Dr.  Pas- 
sion, did.  You  remember,  eh  ?  I  say,  my  friend ;  'tisn't 
every  man  who  can  trot  out  four  such  girls  as  those  of 
mine.  That's  your  wife,  I  reckon  ?" 

Neither  the  farmer  nor  his  daughters  had  as  yet  seen 
the  strange  lady's  face.  She  not  only  kept  her  room 
during  the  passage  up  the  river,  but  upon  emerging  to 
leave  the  boat  she  concealed  her  features  by  a  thick 
veil.  However,  the  gentleman  gratified  their  curiosity 
somewhat  by  introducing  her  as  his  daughter.  Yet, 
still  she  did  not  remove  her  veil.  But  as  they  were  in 
the  act  of  going  ashore,  no  great  importance  was  at- 
tached to  the  slight  disregard  of  etiquette ;  and  her 
father,  smiling,  added :  "  My  dear  sii-,  under  the  circum- 
stances, I  shall  gladly  and  thankfully  accept  your  hos- 
pitable invitation." 

Meanwhile,  the  undertaker  and  his  assistants  con- 
veyed their  sad  burden  to  the  residence  of  Lady  Levas- 
seur.  Carefully  placing  it  in  the  hall,  they  quietly 
retired  a  moment  or  so  before  the  farmer  and  his 
daughters,  with  the  strange  guests,  drew  near. 


326  A   VOICE   OF   PKAYER ! 

"  Here  we  are  at  home  once  more !"  sang  Eliza,  hur- 
rying on  in  advance  and  bounding  up  the  piazza  stairs. 
But  there  she  suddenly  paused.  And  when  her  com- 
panions joined  her  they  were  all  dumbfounded  together. 

Through  the  open  door  they  plainly  saw  the  lamp-lit 
spectacle  in  the  hall.  Lady  Levasseur  and  Fleurette 
were  upon  their  knees,  locked  in  each  other's  embrace, 
near  the  coffin,  and  the  old  slaves  also  knelt  beside 
them.  Even  Goliah  sat  upright  in  one  corner,  with 
downcast  eyes,  as  if  he  fully  comprehended  the  solem- 
nity of  the  scene.  And  while  the  wondering  spectators 
stood  there,  speechlessly  contemplating  what  they  saw, 
their  amazement  was  doubly  increased  by  hearing  the 
mournful  voice  of  Lady  Levasseur,  which  broke  the 
stillness  of  evening  in  an  earnest  prayer  that  touched 
their  hearts  with  a  painful  thrill ! 

"  I  thank  Thee,  O  Lord,  for  this  favor !  Thou  hast 
brought  home  unto  me  the  last  remains  of  the  beloved 
object  of  my  wedded  joy ;  and  now,  whenever  it  is  Thy 
pleasure,  I  will  cheerfully  resign  myself  in  the  arms  of 
death,  and  lie  down  beside  him.  But,  after  our  long 
separation  in  life,  do  not  allow  them  to  part  us  in  the 
earth.  Let  our  graves  be  one !  And  then,  O  Lord,  re- 
ceive our  souls  together,  entwined  with  eternal  love, 
unto  Thy  bosom  forever !  Amen  !" 

But  the  feelings  of  Sancho  and  Dinah  were  not  so 
much  absorbed  in  sorrow  at  the  death  of  their  master 
as  in  sympathy  for  the  grief  of  their  beloved  mistress. 
And  as  Goliah's  olfactive  sensibility  was  not  long  in 
discovering  the  proximity  of  his  friends,  he  un wittingly 
terminated  the  impressive  ceremony  of  that  simple  bene- 
diction by  a  boisterous  exuberance  of  delight  which 
characterizes  the  canine  species.  His  loud  barking  sa- 
lute at  once  dispelled  the  silent  intensity  of  the  general 


THE    DEAD   ALIVE!  327 

gloom,  and  some  confusion  instantly  followed  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course. 

Farmer  Denton  felt  himself  in  an  awkward  position 
with  his  guests.  It  was  an  inopportune  occasion  for 
hospitality,  and  he  sincerely  wished  that  they  were 
domiciled  elsewhere  for  the  time  being.  But  while  he 
was  debating  in  his  mind  how  to  act  or  what  to  say, 
the  stranger  whispered  something  in  his  ear. 

"  You  don't  tell  me  so !"  started  the  farmer. 

"We  shall  see!" 

A  light  was  ordered  in  the  parlor ;  the  blinds  were 
closed,  and  Lady  Levasseur  sat  there  alone ! 

"  This  way !"  beckoned  the  farmer.  "  You  will  find 
her  in  that  room  !" 

The  stranger  entered.  And  closing  the  door  after 
him,  the  farmer  stood  with  his  hand  upon  the  knob  out- 
side, so  that  he  could  hear  what  might  transpire  within. 

First  a  startling  scream,  and  then  a  brief  silence,  fol- 
lowed by  a  vehement  articulation  of  "  Husband  !"  with 
another  exclamation  of  "  Wife !"  in  quick  response. 
And  when  the  farmer  heard  those  words,  his  hand  was 
trembling  so  that  it  made  the  door-knob  rattle. 

"  Are  you  not  dead,  when  I  have  your  corpse  ?" 

"There  has  been  some  mistake,  for  I  am  certainly 
alive !" 

Lady  Levasseur  asked  that  question,  and  it  was 
Major  Levasseur  who  gave  the  answer. 

"  It  is  all  a  dream !"  she  wildly  cried. 

"  Forgive  the  past,  and  let  my  arms  and  lips  prove 
that  I  am  real !"  he  said  in  reply. 

Then  there  was  a  long  silence  of  reconciliation,  un- 
heard and  unseen  beyond  the  walls  of  the  room  ! 

Presently  the  farmer  stood  aside,  while  Fleurette  and 
Irene  both  passed  in. 


St  Andrew's  Church,  at  Selkirk  Colony. 


THE    PROTOTYPE  BEAUTIES  !  329 

-"  Our  daughter  :     Irene,  embrace  your  mother !" 

The  husband  and  father  paused  in  dismay !  He  saw 
two  Irenes  staring  at  each  other  with  evident  fright ; 
and  the  wife  and  mother  beheld  two  Fleurettes  exactly 
alike,  each  in  a  similar  attitude  of  mute  surprise ! 

Irene  had  thrown  off  her  traveling  robe,  revealing  a 
simple  costume,  in  color,  material  and  fashion  that  pre- 
cisely resembled  the  dress  worn  by  Fleurette ! 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?"  choked  the  father. 
"  Irene,  speak !" 

And  the  mother,  with  equal  embarrassment,  called 
"  Fleurette !" 

Irene  shrank  back  to  her  father,  while  Fleurette 
clung  to  her  mother,  and  the  parents  themselves  were 
mutely  begging  each  other  for  an  explanation  ! 

The  same  sunny  curls  falling  upon  the  shoulders  of 
one  also  beautified  the  head  of  the  other.  Both  lovely 
brunettes,  with  sweet  blue  eyes,  and  prototypes  in  feat- 
ure, in  stature,  and  in  symmetry  of  form ! 

A  light  began  to  dawn  upon  Fleurette's  mind,  and 
she  burst  into  tears !  And  Irene  whispered,  "  Father, 
take  me  away !" 

"  There  is  some  necromancy  in  this  house !"  exclaimed 
Levasseur.  "  If  there  is  not,  I  begin  to  fear  that  I  am 
insane.  My  corpse  is  in  that  box,  you  say,  and  yet  I 
am  standing  here !  Irene  is  clasped  in  my  arms,  and  I 
see  her  weeping  in  yours.  I  cannot  believe  what  is  im- 
possible ;  but  the  vision  seems  real !" 

"  Oh,  ma,"  sobbingly  whispered  Fleurette,  "  you  said 
that  I  should  always  be  your  child.  Hold  me  tightly ; 
please  do !" 

"Your  child?"  queried  the  father,  who  overheard 
what  she  said.  "  How  is  that  ?" 

"I  adopted  her  many  years  ago,"  replied  the  mother. 


330  A  SAD  CONTKAST! 

"  Adopted !  You  bewilder  me  !  How  can  this  won- 
derful resemblance  be  accounted  for  ?" 

Fleurette's  origin  was  briefly  explained. 

"And  now,  Irene,  embrace  your  mother!"  said  the 
father,  drawing  them  together.  But  it  was  a  cold  and 
formal  pressure,  with  two  mechanical  kisses  given ;  and 
the  murmuring  of  "  daughter !"  and  "  mother !"  did  not 
seem  to  come  from  their  hearts. 

Oh,  how  scornfully  Irene  glanced  at  Fleurette  when 
explanations  had  been  made,  and  the  general  surprise 
was  over.  And  Fleurette  hardly  dared  to  lift  her  gaze 
from  the  floor. 

Was  it  possible  that  two  beings  so  exactly  similar  in 
all  outward  features  could  be  directly  opposite  in  tastes 
and  feelings  ?  Alas,  yes !  For,  though  bom  alike  in 
every  faculty  and  sense,  different  associations,  examples 
and  precepts  in  education  from  infancy  until  that  event- 
ful hour,  had  been  continually  molding  their  hearts  to 
play  each  an  adverse  part  in  after  life ! 

Irene  was  haughty,  selfish  and  cold ;  and  Fleurette  all 
sympathy  and  love. 

"  Henceforth  you  shall  be  sisters !"  the  mother  said. 
"  Both  so  beautiful,  and  alike !" 

"  Yes !"  responded  the  father.  "  Embrace  each  other 
now !" 

Fleurette  had  not  the  courage  to  face  that  repelling 
look ;  and  Irene  disdainfully  refused  to  make  the  first 
advance.  So  the  moment  and  the  opportunity  passed, 
and  their  arms  were  never  after  extended  one  to  the 
other. 

Levasseur  went  out  and  whispered  something  in  the 
farmer's  ear.  Then  Sancho  brought  tools  to  open  the 
long  box. 

"Hah!"  exclaimed  Levasseur.     "Quick  punishment, 


LOST   LOVE   FOUND!  331 

indeed !  Terrible  and  sure !  In  this  corpse  I  recognize 
one  of  the  villains  who  plundred  me  in  Tennessee. 
They  not  only  robbed  me  of  everything  valuable,  but 
even  stripped  off  all  my  apparel  and  gave  me  a  lot  of 
rags  to  wear.  However,  they  were  soon  overtaken  by 
a  squadron  of  Union  cavalry,  and,  in  the  skirmish,  this 
fellow  must  have  been  killed.  And  being  clad  in  my 
garments  when  the  victors  discovered  him  dead,  it  was 
not  strange  that  they  should  imagine  the  body  mine. 
This  might  have  been  all  the  more  probable  when  other 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  outlaws  were  unavoidably 
slaughtered  in  the  fight.  Fortunately  I  had  made  good 
my  escape  before  the  fatal  encounter.  Acting  upon 
that  belief,  the  soldiers  took  charge  of  the  valuables 
and  the  body,  which  were  subsequently  brought  away, 
as  the  result  proves,  while  I  was  journeying  hither, 
after  accidentally  discovering  the  abode  of  her  whom  I 
expected  to  find  in  New  Orleans.  Thus  the  mystery  is 
all  solved !" 

There  was  but  little  sleep  that  night  in  the  house  of 
the  Dentons  and  the  Levasseurs.  Such  a  combination 
of  remarkable  and  surprising  events  produced  emotions 
and  excitement  that  would  not  subside  very  soon.  But 
the  beautiful  moonbeams  peeped  in  at  the  window  to 
smile  upon  the  reunion  of  hearts,  where  the  forsaken 
wife  was  made  happy  once  more.  They  also  played 
among  the  rose-bushes  outside,  suffusing  the  green 
leaves  writh  a  silvery  glow,  until  finally  disappearing 
from  sight  beyond  the  hills.  And  then  the  stars  came 
out,  laughing  like  choice  spirits  whom  God  had  sent  to 
watch  over  the  abode  of  lost  love  found  ! 

Two  weary  hearts,  with  much  grief  and  but  little  joy 
in  their  pilgrimage  of  life.  Years  of  sorrow  for  a  mo- 
ment of  bliss.  And  then  destiny  must  be  fulfilled. 


332  TRUTH    STRANGER   THAN    FICTION. 

But  the  long  box  was  not  buried  in  the  grave  already 
dug  for  Levasseur.  It  went  to  an  unhallowed  excava- 
tion in  Potter's  Field,  while  the  multitude  wondered, 
and  gossipers  had  a  great  deal  to  say. 

"  We  must  now  leave  this  place !"  said  Levasseur  to 
his  wife.  "  Town-talk  will  devour  us,  if  we  stay  !" 

"  Anywhere !     It's  all  the  same  to  me,  with  you !" 

And  thus  Farmer  Denton's  dream  of  eventually  get- 
ting Lady  Levasseur  for  his  second  wife  came  to  an 
abrupt  end.  But  he  tried  to  comfort  himself  with  pro- 
tracted reveries,  in  which  the  mutability  of  human 
affairs  was  admitted  by  him  beyond  a  doubt.  He  was 
also  convinced  that  miracles  would  never  cease !  And 
his  daughters  were  quite  unanimous  in  their  belief  that 
truth  was  sometimes  stranger  than  fiction. 

But  though  Farmer  Denton  could  never  make  Lady 
Levasseur  his  wife,  he  felt  very  grateful  for  the  extra- 
ordinary liberality  she  had  shown  him.  And  there  was 
that  elegant  residence  deeded  in  his  name.  She  said, 
"No  matter  about  that,"  and  refused  to  acquiesce  in 
any  settlement  of  the  pecuniary  account  between  them. 
"It  is  scarcely  probable  that  I  shall  need  a  penny  of 
what  you  have  had  from  me.  If  I  ever  do  come  to  want 
we  can  settle  it  then  !  When  you  are  tired  of  living  in 
this  fine  house,  no  doubt  it  will  bring  a  good  price. 
Dispose  of  it  as  you  deem  best.  And  perhaps  you  can 
afford  to  give  an  equal  share  of  the  money  to  each  of 
your  charming  daughters  as  a  marriage-dowry  in  my 
name !" 

"  She's  one  in  a  million  !"  thought  the  farmer.  "  And 
for  the  life  of  me  I  don't  understand  why  it  was  that 
her  husband  should  abandon  her  for  another,  nor  how 
she  could  remain  faithful  to  him  an  entire  generation  of 
time  !  Some  women  are  as  queer  as  anybody,  and  par- 


DESTINY    BEING    FULFILLED!  333 

ticularly  in  matters  of  love.  If  all  wives  were  like  her, 
the  divorce-law  would  stand  a  dead  letter  so  far  as  their 
action  went !  A  splendid  woman — that  she  is  !" 

And  it  did  seem  advisable  for  the  Levasseurs  to  seek 
a  habitation  elsewhere.  For,  even  in  St.  Paul,  at  that 
time  there  existed  the  usual  aggregate  of  "  happy  fam- 
ilies," who  are  impelled  by  a  sort  of  gossiping  piety  to 
feast  upon  the  sinfulness  of  their  neighbors.  I  allude  to 
those  exemplary  moralists  who  endeavor  to  substantiate 
their  own  virtue  by  exposing  and  denouncing  the  moral 
weakness  of  others.  A  merciless  fraternity,  alike  devoid 
of  pity  and  insensible  to  remorse  ! 

But  Major  Levasseur  would  not  escape  the  fearful 
penalty  incurred  by  his  rash  violation  of  Divine  law. 
Go  or  stay,  retribution  must  overtake  him  in  the  end ! 

They  were  soon  ready  to  leave  St.  Paul.  But  on  the 
morning  of  their  departure,  a  letter  came  in  haste  from 
the  law  firm  of  Crane  &  Burr,  to  notify  the  Major  that 
Leonore  and  her  grandma  had  just  arrived  from  Paris, 
with  the  intention  of  instituting  a  civil  and  also  a  crim- 
inal action  against  him  in  the  courts  of  law.  No  mat- 
ter; he  would  return  to  New  York,  and  there  meet  the 
issue. 

But  he  was  greatly  disappointed  when  it  became  evi- 
dent to  him  that  a  proper  degree  of  affection  might  not 
be  established  between  Irene  and  her  mother.  That 
worried  him.  However,  Irene's  antagonism  for  Fleu- 
rette  might  be  obviated  by  a  removal  of  the  latter— 
whose  claims  were  certainly  less  than  the  former. 
After  a  while  he  could  attend  to  all  those  matters,  and 
then  be  happy.  But  alas,  the  sequel  will  show  the  terri- 
ble result  from  his  errors  of  the  past,  and  then  leave  him 
in  the  depths  of  remorse,  still  fruitlessly  seeking  for  one 
little  moment  of  happiness  that  can  never  be  found. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


THE  great  Indian  massacre  of 
'62  is  almost  forgotten ;  and  new 
settlers  are  pouring  into  every 
part  of  Minnesota.  They  come 
from  the  East  and  from  the  South, 
from  Canada  and  from  across  the 
sea.  Sturdy  laborers,  experienced 
agriculturists,  skillful  artisans,  and 
business  men  with  money  and 
enterprise,  are  industriously  and 
successfully  developing  the  won- 
derful resources  of  the  State.  Productive  farms,  work- 
shops and  factories,  towns  and  railways,  churches  and 
stoi*es,  newspapers  and  hotels,  school-houses  and  fine 
residences  are  multiplying  everywhere — while  the  bright 
new  City  of  St.  Paul  goes  on  increasing  in  population, 
wealth  and  beauty  with  a  marvelous  rapidity  that  is  not 
only  astounding  and  gratifying  to  its  enterprising  citi- 
zens, but  utterly  incredible  to  people  in  other  parts  of 
the  world. 

And  Fanner  Denton's  prediction  was  more  than  ful- 


336  FOUR  CRIMSON  BLUSHES. 

filled.  That  elegant  property  which  he  bought  for 
five  thousand  dollars  during  the  panic  caused  by  the 
Sioux  massacre,  did  prove  a  good  investment  for  Lady 
Levasseur's  money.  Among  the  consumptive  invalids 
who  visited  Minnesota  the  following  year,  was  a  certain 
very  rich  gentleman,  whose  health  became  restored 
almost  immediately.  And  he  joyfully  resolved  to  live 
in  St.  Paul  the  remainder  of  his  days.  With  that  in- 
tention, he  accordingly  desired  to  purchase  a  nice 
house ;  and  willingly  paid  "  thirty-three  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars"  as  an  inducement  for  the 
Dentons  to  move.  The  price  is  specified  in  the  deed 
that  was  recorded  by  the  county  clerk,  and  hence  I  am 
able  to  here  state  the  exact  sum.  But  one  sour  old 
citizen  exclaimed,  "  What  a  big  sell !" 

Then,  after  deducting  five  thousand,  with  interest  for 
the  time  he  had  been  living  there,  Farmer  Denton 
Divided  the  balance  into  four  equal  parts.  And  he 
looked  very  happy  when  he  said :  "  Girls,  you  shall 
have  just  seven  thousand  dollars  apiece  when  you  com- 
ply with  one  irrevocable  condition  !" 

"  And  what  is  that  ?"  they  all  eagerly  wished  to  know. 

"  Each  of  you  must  first  marry  the  man  you  love !" 

Four  crimson  blushes  and  four  ejaculations  of  "  O !"  in 
simultaneous  response,  brought  a  loud  laugh  from  their 
delighted  father. 

"I  see  how  it  is!"  he  then  teased.  "You  are  all 
going  to  leave  the  old  man  alone,  to  darn  his  own 
stockings  and  sew  on  his  own  shirt-buttons.  That's 
the  way  with  most  children  in  this  ungrateful  world !" 

"Oh,  no!"  came  in  a  chorus  of  voices.  And  four 
sweet  kisses,  with  sorrowful  utterances  of,  "Father, 
you  should  not  talk  so !"  caused  his  heart  to  flutter, 
and  almost  brought  the  tears. 


THE   THREE    BEIDES.  337 

And  there  soon  was  one  marriage.  A  retired  mer- 
chant from  the  East  made  Julia  his  wife.  And  her 
seven  thousand  dollars  were  invested  by  him  in  such  a 
way  that  she  is  receiving  nearly  eleven  hundred  a  year 
interest  money,  and  the  chances  are  that  her  personal 
income  will  soon  be  a  great  deal  more.  She  now  re- 
sides in  one  of  those  elegant  mansions  that  have  recent- 
ly been  erected  in  the  suburbs  of  Minneapolis. 

Then  another  marriage  created  some  extra  gossip. 
And  Mercy  is  extremely  proud  of  a  handsome  husband, 
who  distinguished  himself  in  the  Southern  war.  He 
was  a  furious  rebel  then.  But  he  repented  while  re- 
cuperating his  health  in  the  climate  of  Minnesota,  where 
he  found  an  entirely  new  world  of  love  in  a  pair  of 
sparkling  hazel  eyes,  which  have  since  followed  him  all 
the  way  to  Florida,  where  he  lives. 

The  well-pleased  father  then  said,  "  Whose  turn 
next  ?"  "  Mine !"  answered  Eliza,  with  an  arch  roll  of 
her  eye.  And  in  due  time  she  did  look  very  pretty  as 
a  bride.  The  bridegroom  was  either  a  lawyer  or  a 
banker,  who  said  that  he  intended  to  retire  from  busi- 
ness and  "  tour  in  foreign  lands."  But  he  changed  his 
mind ;  and  she  now  frequently  tells  him  to  "  hurry  up 
and  go."  He  laughingly  replies :  "  I  hate  to  leave  the 
atmosphere  of  Minnesota !" 

There  has  been  no  other  marriage  in  the  Denton 
family,  as  yet.  Though  it  is  well  known  that  more 
than  one  masculine  heart  is  attacked  with  severe  palpi- 
tation when  Miss  Jane  happens  to  be  in  the  same  room. 

"  Ah,  she's  my  only  boy  !"  her  father  said  jestingly 
one  day  to  a  friend,  when  Jane  was  by. 

"  Except  Goliah  !"  was  her  tart  reply. 

"  That's  so !     And  I  hope  he'll  live  until  I  die !" 

Farmer  Denton's  admiration  and  respect  for  his  dog 
15 


338  A   PRIZE    FOB   SOMEBODY. 

was  not  without  the  best  of  reason.  Goliah  is  a  splen- 
did fellow.  And  as  the  climate  of  the  North- west  is  so 
much  like  that  of  Switzerland,  where  his  canine  ances- 
tors lived,  he  will  probably  attain  a  ripe  old  age  before 
departing  to  the  place  where  "all  good  dogs  must 
go !"  Tourists  who  take  any  interest  in  that  species  of 
"animal  kind,"  should  inquire  for  Goliah  when  they 
visit  St.  Paul. 

I  might  also  mention  that  although  Jane  is  the  young- 
est of  the  four  Denton  sisters,  she  has  a  keen  eye  for 
business.  And  the  lucky  wooer  who  makes  her  his  wife 
must  be  alive  and  stirring,  or  she  will  have  him  in  lead- 
ing-strings before  he  is  safely  through  the  honeymoon. 
As  an  instance  of  her  discrimination  in  the  investment 
of  funds,  I  may  relate  t3:at  when  the  stock  of  the  St. 
Paul  and  Chicago  Railway  was  put  in  market,  she 
expressed  a  desire  to  have  her  seven  thousand  dollars 
"  dowry-money,"  which  had  been  acquired  through  the 
remarkable  generosity  of  Lady  Levasseur,  all  invested 
in  the  bonds  of  that  corporation.  And  it  did  sound 
very  business-like  for  a  lady  to  say, 

"The  stock  of  that  road  will  eventually  pay  large 
dividends,  and  I  want  to  be  counted  in !" 

Mr.  Edmund  Rice,  the  President  of  the  new  air-line 
road,  will  not  deny  that  the  first  seven  one-thousand 
dollar  bonds  signed  by  him,  at  the  St.  Nicholas  Hotel, 
in  New  York  City,  were  subsequently  delivered  to  3Ii>s 
Jane  Denton  of  St.  Paul. 

From  this  I  infer  that  tae"  musical"  young  gentle- 
man of  her  choice  may  yet  be  a  stockholder  in  the  St. 
Paul  and  Chicago  Railway,  unless  she  is  prematurely 
proselyted  by  the  "  new  revolution"  doctrine  of  those 
monomaniacal  parr atonner res  who  emphatically  declare 
that  "  what's  a  woman's  is  her  own,"  including  the  prop- 


FARMER  DENTON'S  rosrnox.  339 

erty  of  her  husband,  too.  But,  at  all  events,  Jane  has 
chosen  a  good  investment  for  her  dowry,  and  I  can  not 
believe  that  she  will  ever  be  inflamed  by  contact  with 
any  of  the  gynecian  firebrands. 

Farmer  Denton  retired  fi'om  agricultural  pursuits 
after  the  Indians  made  such  havoc  on  his  farm.  He 
sold  his  farm  the  following  spring,  and  engaged  in  a 
different  occupation,  at  which  he  accumulated  a  great 
deal  of  money  in  a  very  short  time.  He  is  not  in  any 
business  now.  But,  being  an  enthusiastic  admirer  of 
horses,  he  drives  a  team  which  is  seldom  dusted  by  his 
neighbors'  wheels. 

O 

I  imagine  that  he  is  just  now  very  much  concerned  in 
railroad  affairs.  Perhaps  he  may  also  have  an  interest 
in  the  Vermilion  Gold  Mine.  And,  judging  from  the 
active  part  he  took  in  a  test  of  machinery  for  the  prac- 
tical purpose  of  molding  peat,  an  experimental  operation 
of  which  I  was  invited  to  witness  during  my  visit  to 
St.  Paul  in  the  autumn  of  '67,  he  must  be  pecuniarily 
associated  with  his  friend  Sneak  and  other  enterprising 
citizens,  who  seriously  and  enthusiastically  contemplate 
realizing  an  immense  fortune  from  that  monstrous  bed 
a  short  distance  beyond  the  limits  of  the  municipal  cor- 
poration. But  I  think  that  fine  residences,  built  on 
speculation,  suit  his  ideas  better  than  anything  else. 
In  fact,  he  has  done  a  great  deal  toward  adorning  the 
city,  which  is  so  admirably  situated  for  grand  and  ele- 
gant villas  that  admit  of  architectural  display. 

The  central  part  of  St.  Paul  stands  upon  a  beautiful, 
level  plateau,  which  abruptly  terminates  in  a  precipi- 
tous bluff,  with  an  elevation  of  nearly  one  hundred  feet 
above  the  water  of  the  river.  Upon  each  side  of  the 
bluff  there  is  a  gradual  slope,  affording  naturally  easy 
landing  for  steamers.  At  one  time  there  was  consider- 


340  ELEGANCE    OF    ST.  PAUL. 

able  rivalry  between  the  two  landings.  But  recent  en- 
terprise has  permanently  fixed  the  great  centre  of  trans- 
portation at  the  lower  point,  where  all  the  railroads 
will  soon  be  connected  in  a  grand  "  union  depot,"  ad- 
joining that  of  the  North-western  Packet  Company. 
And  then  passengers  and  freight,  by  water  or  by  rail, 
may  be  transferred  from  boats  to  cars,  or  from  car  to 
car,  all  in  the  same  building,  without  the  least  incon- 
venience or  expense. 

The  architectural  beauty  of  St.  Paul  is  certainly 
superior  to  what  I  have  met  with  in  any  other  city  of 
its  size.  This  is  saying  a  great  deal — but  only  what  all 
experienced  and  observing  travelers,  who  have  seen  it, 
enthusiastically  declare.  This  peculiar  feature  of  the 
city  may  be  accounted  for  in  the  undeniable  fact  that  a 
large  proportion  of  its  inhabitants  are  not  only  possessed 
of  great  wealth,  but  highly  educated  and  socially  re- 
fined. Some  proudly  represent  distinguished  old  fami- 
lies in  the  East,  and  their  establishments  here,  whether 
for  business  utility,  or  for  domestic  luxury,  are,  after  all, 
but  the  grand  result  of  improvement  upon  the  modes 
of  moneyed  policy  and  opulent  taste  associated  with 
their  recollections  of  youth.  And  again,  in  the  popular 
phrase,  others  are  "  self-made "  men,  who  have  accumu- 
lated abundant  riches  in  the  successful  pursuit  of  a  le- 
gitimate occupation,  or  from  the  profits  of  fortunate 
speculation  and  remunerative  enterprise  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  extraordinary  resources  of  the  State.  Far- 
mer Denton  is  one  of  that  class. 

And  they  all  seem  to  be  perfectly  well  aware  that  the 
style  of  architecture  in  any  place  is  the  first  interesting 
subject  of  consideration  on  the  part  of  strangers — just 
as  the  garments  of  an  unknown  individual  are  taken  in 
judgment  for  or  against  him.  And,  accordingly,  I  may 


NOTHING   LIKE    MONEY    ANYWHERE.  341 

say  that  St.  Paul  (at  home)  is  like  a  personage  of  re- 
markably fine  form,  clad  in  elegant  and  costly  apparel 
of  the  latest  fashion,  and  possessing  a  noble  countenance, 
at  once  proud,  dignified,  intelligent  and  kind — with  a 
sparkling  eye  of  hospitality  and  humor  that  is  ever 
ready  to  laugh  a  fascinating  welcome  to  any  respectable 
visitor  knocking  for  admission.*  And  there  is  a  loud 
knocking  every  day. 

But  the  Denton  family  are  greatly  indebted  to  the 
patronage  of  Lady  Levasseur  for  the  social  position 
which  they  now  enjoy.  Her  reputation  for  "  immense 
wealth  "  naturally  attracted  the  "  exclusives  "  from  their 
haughty  reserve.  They  were  all  eager  enough  to  make 
her  acquaintance.  Thus  the  intimate  relationship  she 
maintained  with  the  Dentons,  compelled  Society  to  re- 
ceive them  or  ignore  her.  And  as  all  the  "upper  ten" 
gentlemen  were  intensely  anxious  to  wed  the  "  Beauty 
of  St.  Paul" — the  popular  and  very  appropriate  sobri- 
quet bestowed  upon  Fleurette — the  "Four  Sisters"  had 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  selecting  husbands  among 
those  whom  she  refused. 

In  this  way  the  good,  honest  farmer  and  his  amiable 
daughters  were  pleasantly  elevated  to  high  fortune  and 
social  position,  which  otherwise  they  might  never  have 
attained.  I  trust  that  these  personal  allusions  will  give 
no  offense  to  those  interested. 

And  here  I  shall  hint  to  strangers  who  are  not  imme- 
diately received  into  the  "best  society"  of  St.  Paul, 
that  the  multiplicity  of  "  external  enjoyments  "  in  and 
about  the  city  are  quite  sufficient  for  the  creation  of 
new  personal  paradises  of  worldly  bliss,  in  which  they 
may  contentedly  revel  all  alone. 

There  is  a  rapturous  thrill  experienced  by  every  one 
when  they  first  breathe  the  atmosphere  peculiar  to  the 
*  See  "  Appendix"  for  list  of  eminent  and  wealthy  citizens. 


"  SOCIETY  "   OF    ST.  PAUL.  343 

place.  I  have  felt  it  myself,  and  also  heard  others  try 
to  express  similar  feelings ;  but  am  not  yet  sufficiently 
versed  in  the  "  physical  laws  of  spiritual  emotion "  to 
attempt  a  satisfactory  elucidation  of  the  wonderful  en- 
chantment pervading  that  "  bright  realm  of  flowers,  of 
beautiful  lakes  and  winding  streams,  where7  health  and 
happiness  might  dwell  forever." 

The  Society  of  St.  Paul  is  really  superior  to  that  in  a 
majority  of  American  cities,  either  large  or  small.  And 
I  have  noticed  that  the  proportion  of  "  eminent "  and 
"distinguished"  citizens  is  much  larger  than  in  any 
other  community  of  the  same  population.  Military 
chieftains,  retired  merchants,  wealthy  professionals,  and 
affluent  gentlemen  of  leisure  are  met  at  every  turn.  In- 
telligence and  refinement  are  predominantly  character- 
istic attainments  of  the  people  who  constitute  the 
society  of  the  city.  All  those  palatial  residences  in 
town,  and  the  numerous  suburban  villas  which  dot  the 
great  semicircular  range  of  hills  overlooking  the  entire 
locality,  with  its  magnificent  expanse  of  bluff  scenery 
up  and  down  the  river,  are  conclusively  indicative  that 
taste  and  luxury  surround  the  elite  "  family  circles  "  at 
home.  The  countless  and  elegant  equipages,  blooded 
teams,  servants  in  livery,  and  the  stylish  whirl  along 
the  public  thoroughfai'es,  are  significantly  demonstrative 
of  the  existing  presence  of  millionaires.  And  the  pretty 
cottages,  all  neat  and  clean,  where  cheerful  wives  are 
heard  in  songs  of  content,  while  their  rosy-cheeked 
children  boisterously  shout  at  play,  impress  strangers 
with  a  pleasant  conviction  that  happy  firesides  are 
everywhere  in  the  North-west. 

When  church-bells  ring,  beauty  and  fashion  answer 
to  the  call.  The  sidewalks  are  crowded  with  the  lovely 
and  the  fair  just  before  and  after  the  hours  of  worship 


344 


INSTITUTIONS    OF    ST.  PAUL. 


on  a  Sabbath-day.  And  the  Opera  House,  Ingersoll 
Hall,  the  soirees,  the  festivals,  and  the  balls,  are  well 
patronized,  too.  Le  beau  monde  in  St.  Paul  are  har- 
moniously pious  and  gay. 

Sectarian,  beneficial  and  educational  institutions  are 
very  numerous.  Churches  of  almost  every  denomina- 
tion ;  Masonic,  Odd-Fellow,  Good-Templar  and  Druid- 
ical  Lodges,  fully  and  efficiently  maintained ;  a  histori- 
cal society,  library  associations,  classical  seminaries  and 
excellent  common  schools;  Bible,  benevolent,  orphan, 
emigration,  hospital  and  recreative  societies ;  a  medical 
and  surgical  academy ;  and,  in  fact,  all  and  every  or- 
ganization for  promoting  morality,  intelligence,  art  and 
worldly  happiness,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  eternal 
salvation  beyond  the  grave. 


River-sidj  Viaw,  where  the  "Iron-Horse"  runs,  in  "Dakota Land." 

But  as  If  demi  monde  will  ever  infest  the  precincts  of 
wealth,  so  dissipated  prodigals  rattle  the  dice-box,  take 
a  hand  at  cards,  fight  the  tiger  at  faro,  or  play  keno  on 
the  sly,  while  old  men,  and  striplings,  too,  may  bask  in 
the  syren's  smile,  and  riot  with  alcoholic  ruin  in  their 


WHERE   THE    RIGHTEOUS    LIVE.  345 

downward  career  to  perdition — even  "under  the  gas- 
light"  of  St.  Paul. 

And  yet  the  dark  side  of  this  picture  is  extremely 
bright  in  contrast  with  the  criminal  records  of  other 
cities  and  towns.  For,  though  seemingly  incredible,  it 
is  positively  true  that  the  criminals  of  Minnesota  are 
comparatively  fewer  than  those  of  any  other  State  in 
the  Union !  A  careful  comparison  of  city  statistics 
everywhere  shows  that  the  ratio  of  crime  in  St.  Paul  is 
but  one-half  of  New  York  and  one-fifth  of  Boston. 
Thus,  actual  figures  prove  that  the  immorality  of  puri- 
tanical Massachusetts,  with  all  its  self-righteous  profes- 
sion and  noisy  solicitude  for  the  piety  of  the  rest  of  the 
world,  is  five  times  worse  than  that  of  Minnesota !  The 
skeptical  or  the  prejudiced  reader  can  not  refute  this 
assertion. 

Perhaps  the  pellucid  water,  the  pure  atmosphere,  and 
the  steel-blue  sky  of  "Dakota  land"  have  the  same 
powerful  influence  upon  morals  as  upon  health.  Far- 
mer Denton  is  of  that  opinion.  He  says :  "  I  wouldn't 
give  Minnesota  for  all  the  rest  of  the  world."  But  he 
persists  in  retaining  every  one  of  his  eccentric  notions. 
He  is  the  same  man  with  his  great  wealth  and  newly- 
acquired  social  position  that  he  was  while  toiling  on  his 
Jersey  farm.  And  during  his  first  winter  in  St.  Paul, 
he  felt  it  his  duty  to  reprimand  "  those  plaguy  girls " 
for  the  "  new-fangled "  ideas  that  would  get  into  their 
heads.  He  frequently  lectured  them  upon  the  absurd- 
ity of  making  "  such  a  fuss  "  about  the  weather.  They 
fancied  that  it  must  be  very  cold,  because  it  was  in 
Minnesota.  And  he  sharply  ridiculed  them  for  "  piling 
on  ten  thousand  unnecessary  garments,  instead  of  fight- 
ing the  cold  with  spirits  and  animation !"  In  that  he 
was  right,  and  soon  convinced  them  by  practical  illus- 
15* 


346         THE  CHANCE  FOR  CONSUMPTIVES. 

tration.     And  they  are  now  ridiculing  the  similar  prej- 
udices of  those  who  have  not  yet  realized  the  truth. 

Of  late  he  freely  expresses  "  his  own  ideas  "  about  the 
"chance  for  consumptives"  in  that  region.  I  had  a 
long  talk  with  him  upon  the  momentous  topic ;  and  he 
then  declared,  "  What's  physic  for  one,  might  be  poison 
for  another.  Between  the  ignorant  doctors  where  they 
come  from  and  the  unprincipled  quacks  who  follow 
them  here,  they  stand  a  very  slim  chance  of  being 
cured,  or  having  any  money  left  to  bury  them  when 
they  die.  And  that  isn't  all.  This  climate  is  intensely 
dry !  Of  course  it  is.  Well,  then ;  if  it  heals  an  invalid 
of  a  '  moist  temperament,'  it  must  kill  one  of  a  directly 
opposite  peculiarity."  I  use  the  farmer's  style  of  speech. 
He  says :  "  I'm  no  physician ;  but  I  do  think  there's  a 
little  common  sense  in  my  head.  And  when  a  con- 
sumptive asks  me  if  I  think  he  will  recover  here,  I  feel 
of  his  skin,  and  want  to  know  whether  his  hands  are 
apt  to  chap.  I  don't  feel  of  his  pulse.  If  he  says  his 
hands  do  chap  easily,  I  urge  him  to  go  home  as  soon 
as  possible.  It's  too  dry  for  him  in  Minnesota.  He 
should  take  a  voyage  to  sea,  and  visit  some  region 
where  there  is  more  moisture  in  the  air.  That's  what  I 
tell  him !" 

I  fully  concurred  in  his  simple  illustration  of  "  com- 
mon sense ;"  and  am  much  surprised  that  physicians  do 
not  give  the  subject  more  attention.  Certainly  much 
depends  upon  the  temperament  of  an  invalid  going 
thither  for  relief! 

Among  other  investigations  made  by  that  estimable 
though  very  eccentric  man,  was  a  minute  inquiry  con- 
cerning the  singular  habits  of  the  wild  beaver.  Animals 
of  every  kind  interest  him.  He  went  away  up  near 
Crow  Wing ;  and  Chief  Hole-in-the-day  there  introduced 


THE  "BEAVERS."  347 

him  to  a  beaver  community  or  town  very  eligibly 
situated  in  the  middle  of  a  small  but  perpetual  stream 
emptying  into  the  Mississippi  River.  When  he  re- 
turned, his  narrative  was  a  marvelous  one,  indeed.  He 
says : 

"  They're  well  worth  going  to  see !" 

I  had  a  conversation  with  him  also  upon  the  "  beaver 
subject,"  as  he  calls  it,  and  derived  the  information  that 
they  and  muskrats  are  slightly  consanguineous.  He 
assured  me  that  their  habitations  were  quite  similar  in 
many  features.  Though  the  beaver  is  by  far  the  great- 
er engineer  and  the  more  perfect  artisan. 

A  community  of  beavers  will  barricade  the  mouth  of 
a  small  river  with  a  dyke,  displaying  quite  as  much 
skill  as  though  it  had  been  constructed  by  human 
hands.  They  make  that  obstruction  for  the  purpose  of 
forming  a  pond  in  which  to  erect  their  habitations. 
And  they  invariably  select  a  stream  that  is  never  dry. 
The  most  astonishing  part  of  their  labor  is  conveying 
the  large  limbs  and  trunks  of  trees  which  are  to  be 
laid  crosswise  or  fixed  in  the  bottom  of  the  stream.  It 
is  also  interesting  to  see  how  they  procure  those  pieces 
of  timber.  And  particularly  so  when  they  never  use  a 
tree  after  it  has  been  prostrated  by  the  wind  or  felled 
by  the  axe  of  man. 

Having  selected  a  tree  on  the  bank  of  a  stream,  five 
or  six  of  them  cut  and  saw  the  trunk  with  their  sharp 
teeth,  while  another  one  stations  himself  in  the  middle 
of  the  water,  and  indicates  by  a  peculiar  sound  or  by 
striking  his  tail  on  the  surface,  which  way  the  top  in- 
clines to  fall.  Thus  the  cutters  and  sawyers  may  avoid 
being  crushed  to  death.  Soon  bringing  the  tree  down 
into  the  water,  they  then  all  unite  their  strength  and 
skill  in  navigating  the  entire  object  to  that  particular 


348  BUILDING    DAMS. 

place  where  they  purpose  cutting  it  into  proper  lengths. 
When  the  stakes  are  arranged  to  suit  them,  they  en- 
twine small  twigs  like  basket-work  and  cement  all  with 
mortar,  which  was  prepared  by  another  party  while  the 
cutters  were  bringing  down  the  tree,  in  accordance  with 
their  rule  of  impartiality  in  the  equal  division  of  labor 
between  them.  Under  the  dyke,  when  completed,  they 
form  a  "  flood-gate,"  to  be  opened  in  wet  weather  or 
shut  during  a  drouth,  as  necessity  requires.  Their 
dwellings  are  made  of  wood  and  mortar,  two  stories 
high  and  double,  of  a  dimension  suitable  for  the  fami- 
lies who  are  to  occupy  them.  The  first  story  is  a  food 
magazine,  entirely  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water; 
and  the  second  is  divided  into  dormitories,  abov.e  the 
water,  giving  each  family  a  separate  chamber.  Numer- 
ous avenues  are  opened  under  the  dwellings  for  the  pur- 
pose of  going  in  and  out  beneath  the  water,  and  thus 
hiding  their  retreat  from  the  keen-eyed  Indians. 

Divided  into  tribes  or  bands,  with  separate  chiefs,  they 
conform  to  rules  of  government  that  might  shame  a  hu- 
man being  who  disregards  an  obedience  to  moral  law. 
When  the  magazines  are  stocked  for  winter,  no  pilfering 
is  allowed ;  nor  is  any  of  the  provision  to  be  consumed 
until  the  circumstances  of  season  absolutely  demand  it ; 
and  even  then,  no  individual  is  permitted  to  take  a  mor- 
sel without  the  consent,  and  in  the  actual  presence  of, 
the  chief.  The  store  consists  of  very  simple  food,  such 
as  bark  of  the  common  willow  and  the  wild  poplar  tree?. 
Should  bark  be  scarce,  they  will  also  collect  the  wood, 
and  divide  it  into  distinct  parcels  with  their  teeth. 

A  particular  territory  is  allotted  to  each  tribe ;  and 
those  who  trespass  are  delivered  up  to  the  chief  for  pun- 
ishment. For  the  first  offense  a  simple  chastisement  is 
deemed  necessary  to  produce  a  reform ;  while  an  incor- 


SOCIAL   LAWS.  349 

rigible  thief  or  miscreant  of  any  kind  is  doomed  to  lose 
his  tail — which  is  the  greatest  disgrace  a  beaver  can 
realize !  And  the  miserable  convict  is  henceforth  a  dis- 
franchized pauper.  But  in  some  of  those  cases  of  cor- 
poreal decimation,  the  whole  tribe  of  the  mutilated  cul- 
prit will  fight  in  his  behalf  upon  the  same  ground  that 
"  State  Rights  "  people  defend  themselves  from  national 
aggression.  And  in  "  war  "  the  victors  seize  and  con- 
fiscate with  a  rapacity  almost  equaling  that  of  belliger- 
ent Christians  (?) !  The  homes  of  the  conqiiered  are 
ruthlessly  taken  possession  of,  and  strongly  garrisoned 
for  the  benefit  of  young  colonies  in  expectation. 

The  females  produce  their  whelps  with  eyes  open,  and 
three  or  four  at  a  time,  in  the  spring,  and  sustain  and 
instruct  them  with  marked  solicitude  for  nearly  a  year, 
when  the  educated  juveniles  are  compelled  to  launch 
out  in  the  "  stream  "  of  life,  and  build  homes  for  them- 
selves contiguous  to  the  parental  abode.  But  if  the 
community  is  already  over  populated,  the  youngsters 
are  advised  to  join  with  other  "new  beginners,"  and 
make  a  new  settlement  elsewhere.  They  seldom  migrate 
unless  driven  hence  by  the  approach  of  civilization,  in 
which  extremity  their  misfortunes  are  somewhat  identi- 
fied with  the  human  aborigine. 

His  Highness,  the  chief,  told  Farmer  Denton  that  not 
unfrequently  a  bitter  feud  between  two  tribes  was  finally 
settled  by  their  respective  chiefs  fighting  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  opposing  armies,  or  by  a  set  combat  of  three 
and  three.  And  thus  fought  the  Horatii  and  Curiatii 
of  antiquity ! 

Being  remarkably  virtuous,  they  live  in  matrimony, 
without  any  laws  of  divorce,  until  one  of  the  couple 
dies.  The  infidelity  of  a  female  is  punished  with  death. 
In  sickness,  they  express  suffering  by  plaintive  sounds 


350  THE  "OUTSIDERS." 

not  unlike  the  human  voice,  and  their  wants  are  kindly 
provided  for  by  sympathizing  relations  or  friends. 

But,  as  in  human  society,  there  are  some  who  decline 
to  labor  for  subsistence.  In  zoographical  terms,  those 
are  technically  called  Les  paresseux.  And  they  justly 
merit  the  appellation  of  idlers ;  for  they  neither  "  dam 
nor  toil "  in  any  way  further  than  to  excavate  long  tun- 
nels for  habitation.  It  is  also  a  singular  fact  that  the 
vagabonds  are  invai'iably  of  the  male  sex,  who  burrow 
together  as  many  as  possible  in  the  same  tunnel.  The 
supposition  is  that  they  are  mostly  vanquished  candi- 
dates for  the  possession  of  admired  female  favorites,  and 
that  their  social  improvidence  and  cynical  barbarism 
resulted  from  mortification  and  disgust  at  seeing  the 
success  of  bitterly-hated  rivals.  And  thus  the  contest 
of  wooing  man  is  represented  in  the  amphibious  castor 
fiber  of  the  dumb  animal  species.  The  Indians  say  that 
when  the  Les  paresseux  have  sufficiently  recovered  their 
strength  in  solitude,  they  voluntarily  return  to  the  com- 
munity from  which  they  seem  to  be  ostracized,  and 
once  more  endeavor  to  establish  a  satisfactory  matri- 
monial alliance.  Hunters  easily  entrap  the  lazy  drones, 
and  in  that  event  their  sorrows  are  at  an  end. 

There  is  a  peculiar  odoriferous  substance  secreted  by 
the  beaver  which  emits  sufficiently  perceptible  to  be 
recognized  by  hunters  a  long  way  off.  Scholars  call  it 
castoreum,  while  trappers  designate  it  by  the  plainer 
term  of  "  bark-stone."  When  used  for  "  bait,"  it  neve"ir 
fails  to  lure  into  the  death  toil  any  unfortunate  juvenile 
who  may  chance  to  sniff  its  odor,  which  is  the  most 
deliciously  attractive  sensation  that  their  olfactory 
senses  can  possibly  realize.  Yet  while  young  beavers 
are  thus  caught,  the  experienced,  like  old  birds,  fre- 
quently suspect  harm,  and  so  shy  away,  after  cautiously 


"COME   TO    MINNESOTA  !" 


351 


springing  the  trap  and  averting  the  danger  to  any  un- 
suspecting youth  or  thoughtless  simpleton. 

But  Farmer  Denton  did  not  confine  his  attention  en- 
tirely to  sledge-dogs,  beavers,  and  the  like.  He  was 
more  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  thousands  of 
toiling  and  struggling  men  in  the  East,  where  he  had 
left  them  wearing  out  their  miserable  existence  upon 
land  that  would  not  pay  to  farm ;  and  that,  too,  when  so 
many  million  acres  of  productive  soil  in  the  great 
North-west  still  remained  waiting  for  the  plow.  His 
letters  all  reiterated :  "  Come  out  here.  Don't  stay 
where  you  are.  Instead  of  working  yourself  to  death 
to  avoid  starvation,  pack  up,  or  sell  out,  and  take  the 
first  train.  Get  here  in  time  to  break  up  new  land,  and 
the  first  crop  will  set  you  crazy  with  joy !" 

And  he  told  only  the  truth  when  he  repeatedly  wrote 
that  the  first  crop  would  pay  for  the  land.  He  also 
mentioned  that  the  Exemption  Law  secured  a  home  and 
a  heritage  for  the  poor  man's  family  in  case  some  misfor- 
tune left  him  hopelessly  in  debt, 
and  named  other  extraordinary 
advantages  which  should  induce 
his  correspondents  to  "  Come !" 

But  as  Col.  Hewitt,  an  enter- 
prising lawyer  and  real  estate 
financier  of  St.  Paul,  is  now  send- 
ing his  "  Book  of  Minnesota " 
free  to  all  applicants  by  mail, 
Farmer  Denton  relies  entirely 
upon  that.  It  contains  a  resume 
of  everything  that  would  interest 
strangers  who  contemplate  set-  ,  .,^_  <*^ 

tling  in  the  State.  *"    **  ^ 

A  squatter  s  Claim. 


CHAPTER    XXIY. 


SUMMER  travelers  in  Dakota 
Land  are  numerically  increasing 
every  year.  And  I  do  not  won- 
der at  it.  The  only  surprise  to 
me  is  that  a  few  thousand  more 
of  those  "  would-be  happy  but 
forever  miserable"  people  who 
haunt,  or  rather  infest  the  old 
worn-out  watering  places  in  the 
East,  so  pertinaciously  every  season,  do  not  venture  a 
little  further  from  home,  and  seek  the  benefit  of  relaxa- 
tion where  actual  enjoyment  can  be  found.  I  am  well 
aware  that  merchants  and  others  who  can  not  leave 
their  business  for  any  length  of  time,  must  content 
themselves  with  spending  only  a  day  or  two,  now  and 
then,  at  the  nearest  place  of  attraction.  But  it  is  none 
the  less  criminal,  and  unmitigatedly  ridiculous  to  domi- 
cile their  virtuous  wives  and  innocent  children  at  an  over- 
crowded fashionable  sea-side  resort,  or  in  a  dissolutely 
perturbed  spring-house,  or  even  upon  an  aerially  "  top- 
loftical"  mountain-crag — where  all  the  wedded  and  celi- 


354  APOLLYOXS  AND  CYTHEKIANS. 

bate  "spooney"  Toms,  Dicks  and  Harries,  and  "sim- 
pering" Susans,  Betsies  and  Janes  are  alike  desperately 
endeavoring  to  flirt  themselves  into  the  improper  pos- 
session of  new  affinities!  And,  with  seemingly  bold 
assurance,  I  shall  here  sarcastically  intimate  that  such 
family-arrangements  are  unpardonable  in  husbands  and 
fathers  who  have  the  least  particle  of  connubial  or 
paternal  solicitude  in  them.  Also  (fully  justified  by 
conclusive  inferences,  adduced  from  extended  observa- 
tions in  the  past),  I  shall  unhesitatingly  take  the  liberty 
of  insinuating  that  the  husband  who  leaves  his  young 
wife  in  such  promiscuous  and  pestiferous  society,  six 
days  and  five  nights  in  the  week,  while  he  is  away 
attending  to  pecuniary  affairs,  and  then  consoles  him- 
self with  merely  visiting  her  from  Saturday  night  to' 
Monday  morning,  may  be  a  "darling  duck"  in  the 
lady's  estimation,  and  at  the  same  time  appear  like  a 
"  silly  gander "  in  the  opinion  of  those  who  flirt  with 
her  when  he  is  not  there.  And  yet,  how  many  such 
arrangements  are  annually  consummated  by  those  who 
consider  it  distingue  to  come  in  contact  with  the  ephem- 
eral butterflies  and  grasshoppers  of  le  demi  monde  ! 

I  allude  to  those  places  of  rendezvous  only  where 
parasitical  Apollyons  and  their  Cytherian  decoys  sport 
and  flutter  so  notoriously  in  the  devastation  of  all  that 
is  good  and  pure ;  where  midnight  cards  and  wine,  with 
paphian  smiles  and  a  voluptuous  rendition  of  the  lasciv- 
ious pas  de  cancan,  fascinate  innocence  and  prepare 
souls  for  hell ! 

Who  says  I  am  too  severe  ?  He  does ;  and  so  does 
she!  Indeed!  Perhaps  I  ought  to  apologize.  Then, 
also,  perhaps  I  shall  not.  No !  I  have  been  there,  and 
seen  it  all.  And  while  some  stood  in  front,  timidly 
gaping  at  the  painted  curtain,  I  looked  in  behind  the 


"RETREATS"  IN  DAKOTA  LAND.  355 

scenes.  Certainly.  Why  not  ?  I  had  the  pass-word, 
and  went  in  free.  But  how  I  got  out,  was  quite  another 
thing.  Oh,  sneer  at  these  lines,  in  welcome!  I  admit 
that  I  am  writing  in  the  same  spirit  with  which  a  noted 
reverend  gentleman  denounced  the  Black  Crook.  Well, 
what  if  I  am  ?  He  said  that  the  voluptuous  beauty  of 
the  Parisienne  ballet  might  not  demoralize  his  mind,  al- 
though he  cautioned  the  multitude  against  venturing 
too  near. 

But  as  it  was  not  my  intention  to  make  any  consider- 
able portion  of  this  volume  read  like  a  criticisingly 
"  moral  essay,"  I  will  simply  add  that  the  better  class 
of  visitors  are  beginning  to  shun  those  resorts  which 
have  become  famous  from  prodigal  extravagance,  bought 
with  ill-repute,  to  quietly  rusticate  in  the  sweet  retreats 
of  Dakota  Land,  where  the  moral  atmosphere  is  not  less 
pure  than  the  health-giving  air  which  the  lungs  of  hon- 
esty and  virtue  love  to  breathe ! 

And  since  the  opening  of  railways  in  harmonious  con- 
nection with  established  lines  of  passenger  steamers  on 
the  lakes  and  rivers,  summer  travelers  in  the  delightful 
region  of  the  great  North-west  will  find  first-class  ac- 
commodations on  their  tour  wherever  the  conveyances 
are  propelled  by  steam.  And,  as  with  the  salubrity  of 
the  climate  there,  the  scenery  is,  in  many  respects,  the 
loveliest  upon  which  the  sun  ever  shone.  A  steamboat 
voyage  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  is  now  attended  with 
the  comfort  and  luxury  of  a  city  hotel  while  rap- 
turously enjoying  the  grand  and  romantic  panorama  of 
the  strangely  castellated  bluffs  of  the  mightiest  river  in 
all  the  world !  But  as  any  description  of  the  natural 
sublimity  peculiar  to  the  countless  points  of  interest  in 
that  voyage  alone  would  fill  a  huge  volume,  I  can  allude 
to  only  a  few  of  them  here. 


356  AN    OCTOBER    SCENE. 

Trempeleau  Bluff,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  be- 
tween the  cities  of  La  Crosse  and  Winona,  is  a  magnifi- 
cent study.  (It  has  been  successfully  painted  by  Mr. 
Gilbert  Munger,  a  talented  young  artist  from  New 
York,  who  did  it  while  visiting  his  brothers,  the  popu- 
lar music  dealers,  on  Third  street,  in  St.  Paul,  when  I 
was  unraveling  the  mystery  of  that  curious  mound  of 
round  blue  stones  which  had  been  accumulated  by  Hah- 
zah-ee-yun-kee-winn  in  memory  of  her  first-born  child. 
The  painting  proved  very  successful,  not  only  in  the 
estimation  of  those  who  were  familiar  with  the  original 
scene,  but  in  the  artistic  judgment  of  a  Scotch  noble- 
man, who  gladly  paid  a  large  sum  for  it  while  yet  in  an 
unfinished  condition.) 

We  will  imagine  that  the  soft  haze  of  an  October 
morning  is  subduing  the  sunlight,  which  apparently 
struggles  to  come  forth  in  resplendent  glory.  And 
there,  towering  skyward  with  solemn  grandeur,  all  clad 
in  the  richly-variegated  colors  of  autumn,  the  giant  hill 
is  perfectly  sublime.  Then,  creeping  down  its  side,  a 
great  phantom  shadow  is  faintly  visible,  not  only  upon 
the  surface,  but  far  into  the  pellucid  deep.  And  the 
tiny  pebbles  along  the  silent  shore  seem  to  be  kissing 
each  truant  ripple  as  it  comes  dancing  softly  and  clear 
before  the  gentle  breeze ;  while  further  out  in  the  bosom 
of  the  mighty  stream,  there  is  a  smiling  archipelago  of 
clustered  islets,  where  fairies  might  peacefully  dwell  in 
a  miniature  world  all  their  own.  The  little  archipelago 
presents  a  beautiful  contrast  with  the  stupendous  bluff 
whose  almost  perpendicular  crest  looks  down  in  vivid 
resemblance  of  some  antique  castle  long  since  ruined  by 
time's  decay.  And  as  the  mellow  morning  light  is 
quaintly  gilding  its  imaginary  walls,  a  strange  fancy 
inspires  the  beholder  to  muse  until  thought  loses  all 


MOUNTAIN   GRAVES.  357 

conception  in  dreams  that  cannot  be  defined.  I  have 
enjoyed  pleasurable  musings  there. 

Trempeleau  is  decidedly  French.  And  I  am  told  that 
it  signifies  "  dipping  into  the  sea."  But  the  river  pilots 
translate  it  "  mountain  island,"  from  the  fact  that  the 
lofty  eminence  has  no  apparent  connection  with  the 
general  range.  It  stands  entirely  alone;  and  the 
steamers  land  at  a  little  village  which  appears  to  be 
doubtfully  clinging  upon  the  southern  base  of  the  dizzy 
and  almost  perpendicular  height. 

Victoria  and  Prince  Albert  Peaks  are  seen  upon  the 
opposite  shore,  two  miles  or  so  below.  They  are  twin 
bluffs,  and  the  loftiest  elevation  along  the  entire  river, 
being  about  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  surface  of  the 
stream.  The  apex  of  one  somewhat  resembles  the  En- 
glish crown — and  hence  their  names. 

Driesbach  Bluff,  also  upon  the  west  bank  of  the  river, 
and  scarcely  more  than  eight  miles  above  La  Crosse,  is 
so  called  because  it  was  formerly,  owned  by  the  once 
celebrated  lion  tamer  of  that  name.  But  why  he  ever 
bought  it  I  am  at  a  loss  to  comprehend.  The  last  time 
I  passed  there  the  sun  was  sinking  to  rest  behind  the 
monster  hill;  and  I  saw  strange  shadows  hovering 
about  that  lonely  cemetery  writh  its  small  white  head- 
stones pointing  out  the  graves  of  early  settlers  who  had 
been  buried  there.  What  a  singular  spot,  I  mused,  for 
a  burial-ground  !  At  an  elevation  of  nearly  five  hund- 
red feet  upon  a  mountain  side,  among  dwarf  oaks,  and 
broken  rocks  all  moss-grown  and  gray.  How  desolate 
and  wild  !  And  the  weird-cast  scene  was  all  the  more 
thrilling  from  the  soft  light  of  parting  day. 

I  leaned  upon  the  guard-railing  of  the  steamer,  pen- 
sively questioning  my  own  soul  whether  it  would  cheer- 
fully leave  its  poor  body  of  clay  in  a  lull-side  grave  as 


358  THE   CITY    OF   WIXOXA. 

dismal  as  those  up  there  appeared  to  be.  But  a  voice 
within  me,  in  sad  response,  cried  out,  "  No !" 

Then  I  fancied  a  beautiful  night ;  and  tried  to  imag- 
ine how  I  would  feel  sitting  up  there  all  alone  in  solemn 
communion  with  the  dead !  Spiritualists  say  they  can 
talk  with  the  dead.  And  they  endeavor  to  convince 
everybody  how  beautiful  their  "  theory  "  is,  while  I  can 
not  credit  them  with  entertaining  a  very  sincere  belief 
in  all  they  pretend.  But  I  dreamily  thought  that  an 
hour  or  so  spent  up  there,  in  a  calm  moonlight  night, 
would  seem  quite  novel,  if  nothing  more.  And  then,  if 
I  could  have  a  magic  wand  to  wave,  my  first  wish 
would  make  the  moon  disappear  behind  dark  clouds, 
leaving  the  air  totally  black.  With  another  movement 
of  my  wand  I  would  call  up  a  terrible  storm.  And 
there,  amid  the  tombs,  with  a  tempest  moaning  through 
the  broken  rocks  and  howling  amid  the  tree-tops  over 
my  head,  I  would  invoke  deafening  peals  of  thunder  to 
echo  in  response  when  the  lightning  flashed  an  appalling 
blaze !  Then,  waving  my  wand  once  more,  I  would 
command  all  the  storm  clouds  to  vanish,  and  let  the 
joyful  moonlight  reappear,  so  that  I  might  contemplate 
a  million  gold  and  silver  ripples  quivering  and  glitter- 
ing upon  the  surface  of  the  mighty  torrent  stream  away 
down  below ! 

The  City  of  Winona  is  the  most  important  place  be- 
tween La  Crosse  and  St.  Paul.  It  occupies  the  same 
spot  where  the  traditional  village  of  Keoxa  stood  many 
centuries  ago  upon  Wapashaw  Prairie,  a  beautiful  plain, 
which  was  dearly  loved  by  the  Winnebagoes  of  olden 
time.  Here  it  was  that  the  great  chief  Wapashaw  lived 
and  died.  Some  say  he  died  in  exile,  in  Canada.  But 
I  have  been  shown  the  spot  where  his  remains,  with 
those  of  his  family,  lay  buried  when  white  settlers  be- 


THE  "LAKE  OF  TEAKS."  359 

gan  to  build  the  new  town.  They  found  it  inclosed  by 
a  rude  wooden  fence,  which  soon  disappeared,  in  the  pro- 
gress of  improvement,  to  make  room  for  the  erection  of 
stores.  And  by  and  by  the  bones  were  removed  in  ex- 
cavating for  a  cellar,  in  which  a  barber  has  since  pur- 
sued his  tonsorial  manipulations  without  even  asking 
permission  from  the  departed  spirits  of  the  illustrious 
dead. 

Gigantic  bluffs  rise  up  back  of  the  pretty  town,  and 
almost  overhang  the  habitations  below;  while  five  beau- 
tiful valleys,  with  each  its  stream,  and  bounded  on 
either  side  by  a  range  of  diversified  hills  stretching 
away  back  to  the  interior  of  rich  agricultural  lands,  all 
converge  on  the  plain.  The  surrounding  scenery  is 
very  grand  from  the  tower  of  the  colossal  and  magnifi- 
cent public  seminary — a  new  edifice,  far  surpassing  any 
similar  building  which  I  have  seen  in  the  East.  And  a 
palatial  temple,  costing  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million 
dollars,  is  also  in  course  of  erection  there,  at  Winona, 
for  the  uses  and  purposes  of  the  Minnesota  Normal 
School. 

Lake  Pepin  is  the  choicest  portion  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  Father  Hennepin  called  it  the  "  Lake  of  Tears," 
because  Aquipaguatin,  the  old  chief  who  captured  him 
and  his  men,  wept  and  compelled  his  own  son  to  weep 
with  him,  all  one  night  near  the  water's  edge,  for  the 
purpose  of  inducing  his  "court  and  councilors"  to  ac- 
quiesce in  his  wish  to  deprive  the  reverend  prisoner  of 
life.  But  the  tender-hearted  old  savage  spilt  all  his 
tears  in  vain,  and  the  wandering  Franciscan  lived  to 
narrate  his  adventures  for  the  edification  of  the  woi'ld. 

The  scenery  of  Lake  Pepin  is  both  lovely  and  grand. 
And  there  are  few  other  localities  of  equal  extent  upon 
the  face  of  the  globe  which  can  even  remotely  compare 


MYSTKKY    OF   THE    DEEP.  361 

with  it  as  a  pleasant  study  for  the  painter  or  the  poet. 
The  lake  is  ibrnicd  by  an  expansion  of  the  river  to  at 
least  three  times  its  average  width  for  a  distance  of 
twenty-five  miles,  in  shape  like  an  amphitheatre,  and 
inclosed  by  lofty  bluffs,  which  rear  their  dark  outlines 
in  every  variety  of  form,  and  at  intervals  seem  to  be 
disconnected  by  elevated  valleys  or  deep  ravines.  The 
perspective  in  all  directions  is  totally  unlike  any  other 
part  of  the  river,  from  its  source  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Not  a  single  island  is  in  view.  The  Indians  say  that 
"once  upon  a  time"  the  bottom  of  Lake  Pepmfell  out, 
and  that  the  islands  then  all  went  down.  Inasmuch  as 
soundings  to  the  depth  of  four  hundred  fathoms,  or 
twelve  hundred  feet,  have  been  made  in  some  places 
without  any  result,  this  tradition  would  seem  true. 
The  water  is  remarkably  clear,  and  does  not  appear  to 
have  any  current.  But  it  is  perfectly  alive  with  fish ; 
and  among  the  aqueous  novelties  there,  I  might  allude 
to  an  occasional  splash  of  the  ever-restive  sturgeon,  who 
is  naturally  addicted  to  a  peculiar  antic  of  leaping 
above  the  surface,  and  instantly  disappearing  again,  to 
repeat  similar  performances  in  distant  places.  And 
when  a  storm  occurs,  the  whole  expanse  of  element  is 
quite  as  tumultuous  as  an  angry  sea ! 

The  bluffs  surrounding  the  lake  are  from  four  to  five 
hundred  feet  high,  and  the  country  recedes  from  them 
at  about  the  same  level,  with  the  usual  undulations  of 
gently  rolling  land ;  while  numerous  streams  disgorge 
here  and  there.  Beside  splendid  fishing  in  the  lake,  an 
abundance  of  grouse  and  other  small  game  may  be 
found  in  that  vicinity ;  and  deer  are  numerous  among 
the  forest  hills  in  winter  time. 

The  village  of  Frontenac,  situated  upon  an  elevated 
natural  esplanade  of  singular  beauty,  seems  to  be  nest- 
16 


,362  LEGEND    OF    LOVE. 

linsr  at  the  foot  of  the  western  bluff  of  that  mountain- 

O 

like  range  called  Point-no- Point,  which  rears  its  bold 
front  ten  miles  or  more  along  the  Minnesota  shore  of 
the  lake,  while  the  dark  outline  of  Cap  de  Sioux,  or 
"  Maiden  Rock,"  is  visible  nearly  opposite,  on  the  Wis- 
consin side.  And  those  great  cliffs  appear  like  two 
antediluvian  monsters  of  earth  in  silent  anger,  perpet- 
ually frowning  defiance  at  each  other  across  the  beauti- 
ful watei-s  which  bar  their  possible  meeting  in  the  actxial 
combat  of  physical  strife. 

"  Maiden  Rock "  was  the  scene  of  a  love  tragedy 
which  occurred  long  before  the  first  steam-signal  of  a 
roaring  patah-watah,  or  '•  fire-canoe,"  disturbed  the  pri- 
meval stillness  of  the  then  unexplored  caves  beneath 
those  bluffs.  And  that  tall  promontory  will  ever  be 
memorable  among  the  Indian  legends  of  Dakota  Land, 
for  a  physical  and  historical  peculiarity  similar  to  that 
of  Leucadia,  where  the  muse  of  Mytilene,  more  learned 
than  beautiful,  precipitated  herself  into  death  as  the 
most  convenient  means  of  curing  a  passion  which  the 
scornful  Phaon  requited  with  contempt. 

But  it  was  upon  the  wild  shore  of  Lake  Pepin  that 
Oholoaitha,  or  Winona,  the  "  first-born,"  more  beautiful 
than  learned,  and  quite  as  desperate  as  her  illustrious 
example,  took  a  death  leap  because  she  was  forbidden 
to  love  and  to  be  loved  by  the  brave  Anikigi.  There 
are  many  different  versions  of  this  romantic  tradition. 
But  the  most  plausible  one  is  that  Oholoaitha — a  Sioux 
child  of  ten  years,  whose  parents  lived  at  the  village 
of  Keoxa,  in  the  time  of  the  great  chief  Wapashaw, 
situated  on  the  prairie  where  the  City  of  Winona  now 
stands — was  taken  captive  by  a  hostile  band,  and  subse- 
quently reared  in  the  teepee  of  the  victorious  chief. 
And  upon  attaining  the  irrepressible  period  of  female 


THE    GARRAUU    KSTATE.  363 

existence,  she  fell  in  love  with  the  chief's  son.  That 
was  all  very  proper,  for  the  object  of  her  love  had  him- 
self been  the  means  of  saving  her  life.  Yet,  unlike 
Phaon  with  Mytilene,  Anikigi  gallantly  and  heroically 
returned  Oholoaitha's  passion  in  the  spontaneous  ardor 
of  a  young  Dakota  brave.  And  they  might  have  loved 
happily  if  their  hopes  had  not  been  suddenly  blasted  by 
the  conclusion  of  peace  between  their  tribes,  which 
made  it  compulsory  that  she  should  be  restored  to  her 
own  people.  However,  the  chief  made  a  formal  request 
of  her  father  that  she  might  remain  to  marry  Anikigi, 
and  thus  become  his  daughter-in-law.  But  the  proposi- 
tion only  resulted  in  exasperating  the  revengeful  feel- 
ings of  the  paternal  old  Sioux,  who  was  very  anxious  to 
avoid  any  alliance  that  might  have  a  tendency  to  con- 
solidate peace.  So  he  resolutely  demanded  his  daugh- 
ter back  again  after  her  eight  years'  absence  in  very 
pleasant  captivity.  But  Oholoaitha  did  not  return  to 
her  father's  teepee,  nor  to  his  tribe.  For^on  the  very 
day  that  he  intended  sacrificing  her  by  an  odious  union 
with  one  of  his  own  choice,  she  ascended  the  bluff  and 
precipitated  herself  to  death  among  the  rocks  below. 
And  as  the  Indians  deem  suicide  an  unpardonable  crime, 
the  living  still  curse  her  memory  and  attach  eternal  in- 
famy to  her  name ! 

"  Winona's  Grotto,"  a  cave  lined  with  various  colors 
of  sandstone,  in  strata  of  an  inch  or  so  thick,  crumb- 
ling easily  to  the  touch,  and  melting  quickly  in  water, 
is  but  half  a  mile  below  Maiden  Rock. 

The  Garrard  Estate  embraces  the  extent  of  Point-no- 
Point  range,  the  whole  of  Marsh  Valley,  and  nearly  all 
the  hills  and  valleys  for  two  or  three  miles  ir  width  be- 
tween the  towns  of  Red  Wing  and  Lake  City,  I  pre- 
sume the  whole  area  is  not  less  than  ten  thousand  acres, 


364 

including  the  most  picturesque  and  lovely  scenery  in 
any  part  of  Dakota  Land.  Brigadier-General  Garrard, 
and  his  two  brothers,  Dr.  Garrard  and  General  Garrard, 
are  busily  superintending  the  transformation  of  the  en- 
tire estate  into  an  immense  ornamental  park.  They 
purpose  making  it  the  grandest  and  most  delightful 
summer  resort  on  the  continent.  And,  judging  from 
what  I  have  seen  already  accomplished  there  by  a  lav- 
ish expenditure  of  money  with  "  taste  and  wisdom,"  it 
is  safe-  for  me  to  say  that  their  enterprise  will  be  entire- 
ly successful.  When  the  valley  gradings  and  the 
mountain  passes  are  all  completed,  there  will  be  pictur- 
esque driving  enough  for  several  days  without  twice 
going  over  the  same  track  or  repeating  any  one  view. 

An  enchanting  scene  may  be  enjoyed  from  Point 
Delight,  an  inland  promontory  of  immense  height,  look- 
ing over  Marsh  Valley,  and  out  upon  the  Lake,  for  at 
least  twenty  miles,  to  the  dimly  visible  bluffs  against 
the  horizon.  This  is  the  loveliest  landscape  that  I  ever 
beheld !  ' 

The  resident  Society  of  Frontenac  is  that  of  educated, 
polished,  refined  and  wealthy  people,  who  offer  every 
inducement  for  others  of  the  same  class  to  come  and 
join  them.  Lady  McLean,  the  elegant  and  accomplished 
relict  of  Judge  McLean,  late  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  and  also  the  mother  of  the  Messrs.  Gar- 
rard, is  so  delighted  with  the  place  that  she  intends  to 
reside  there  the  remainder  of  her  days.  Strangers  will 
find  a  good  new  hotel  upon  the  levee.  Mr.  Kennicott, 
the  landlord,  is  a  hospitable  host  and  a  very  kind- 
hearted  man. 

If  happiness  can  dwell  anywhere  upon  the  earth,  it 
may  be  found  in  the  pretty  village  of  Frontenac.  It  is 
quietly  breathing  in  those  peaceful  abodes  upon  the 


ABODK    OF    HAPPINESS.  365 

beautiful  esplanade  at  the  foot  of  that  gray  old  hill, 
near  where  the  waters  ever  flow !  I  have  seen  it  there 
in  the  dewy  morning,  at  noontide,  and  in  the  twilight 
of  evening:.  And  I  remember  once  sitting  at  a  chamber- 

O  •^ 

window  in  the  stylish  residence  of  Dr.  Garrard,  during 
the  midnight  hour,  when  all  was  hushed  and  still ;  and, 
while  gazing  out  upon  the  silvery  deep  with  sad  and 
mournful  memories  of  the  loved  and  gone,  my  listening 
fancy  heard  a  whispering  murmur  in  the  pleasant  breeze, 
which  seemed  to  say  : 

"  Where  God  is,  and  they  his  love  doth  keep, 
Sobs  nor  sighs  shall  ne'er  disturb  their  sleep !" 

Some  marks  are  still  existing  in  the  vicinity  of  Fron- 
tenac  to  point  out  the  place  where  an  old  French  fort 
stood  nearly  two  hundred  years  ago.  And  Indian 
mounds  are  numerous  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lake 
City,  where  Mr.  Lyon,  a  wealthy  New  Yorker,  is  keep- 
ing an  excellent  hotel  for  the  accommodation  of  tourists 
and  invalids  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  The  Lyon  House 
is  now  standing  on  a  spot  where  the  bones  of  an  extinct 
race  have  been  found  in  such  vast  quantities  as  to  in- 
duce the  belief  that,  contemporaneous  with  the  ante- 
diluvian boyhood  of  Noah,  some  vast  city  covered  a 
large  portion  of  the  wide  prairie  which  spreads  out  far 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  present  thrifty  town.  A  small 
steamer  plies  between  Lake  City  and  other  landings 
near,  affording  pleasure-seekers  convenient  facility  for  a 
delightful  trip  over  to  Maiden  Rock,  the  Grotto,  the 
Cave,  and  any  picturesque  locality  which  their  fancy 
may  select. 

When  Le  Sueur  visited  Lake  Pepin,  nearly  one  hund- 
red and  sixty  years  ago,  he  saw  numerous  caverns  of 
over  seventy  feet  in  extent  and  three  or  four  feet  high 
along  the  bluffs,  in  which  bears  slept  during  the  winter. 


366  OLD  "RED  WINGS     GRAVE. 

The  entrances  to  some  of  the  caverns  were  entirely 
closed  with  saltpetre.  In  the  summer  they  became  the 
dens  of  rattlesnakes,  who  charged  their  gums  with  poison 
in  the  morning  and  cast  it  out  at  night. 

Red  Wing  is  remarkable  for  the  proximity  of  La 
Grange,  or  Barn  Bluff,  a  solitaire  eminence,  nearly  five 
hundred  feet  high,  the  western  base  of  which  is  only  a 
few  rods  from  the  levee  in  front  of  the  Metropolitan 
Hotel,  kept  by  Mr.  Teele,  an  obliging  host,  who  endeav- 
ors to  make  his  guests  feel  at  home.  The  grave  of 
old  "  Red  Wing,"  the  noted  chief,  is  on  top  of  the  bluff, 
overlooking  an  almost  endless  expanse  of  land  and 
water,  which  has  already  entranced  a  painter's  eye  and 
fired  a  poet's  brain.  And,  as  if  to  compensate  for  the 
entire  absence  of  them  in  the  lake,  a  "  thousand  islands  " 
intersperse  the  river  above,  forming  the  most  romantic- 
ally diversified  series  of  scenes.  The  site  of  Red  Wing, 
now  a  large  and  prosperous  town,  was  occupied  only  a 
few  years  ago  by  a  group  of  teepees  then  forming  the 
Indian  village  of  Remnichah. 

But  tourists  voyaging  upon  the  Upper  Mississippi 
River  must  not  imagine  that  all  the  beautifully  undu- 
lated scenery  of  Dakota  Land  is  visible  from  the  deck  of 
a  steamer.  For  many  of  these  great  promontories  are 
but  the  termination  or  the  beginning  of  long  ranges  of 
bluffs,  which  meander  beside  tributary  streams,  in  some 
instances  a  hundred  miles  or  more  from  their  outlets 
into  the  great  arterial  flood.  And  in  that  season  when 
nature  is  full  of  bloom,  the  countless  hills  and  dells  are 
robed  in  dense  foliage,  imparting  a  joyful  beauty  to  the 
almost  inconceivable  shapes  and  attitudes  of  precipitous 
heights,  rugged  cliffs  and  romantic  slopes,  which  form 
the  kaleidoscopic  valleys  intersecting  the  lovely  country 
around. 


THE    BOILING    KIVEK.  367 

The  mighty  river  everywhere,  except  on  Lake  Pepin, 
is  divided  into  numerous  channels  by  intervening 
islands  with  a  marvelously  pleasant  irregularity,  which 
even  the  combined  efforts  of  art  and  nature  have  no- 
where else  attained.  Thus  the  eye  of  a  stranger  is  fre- 
quently deceived  with  the  impression  that  modern 
horticulturists  have  been  lavishing  enormous  expense 
to  perfect  rural  beauty  with  the  utmost  profusion  of 
foliage  and  flowers. 

In  the  Algonquin  dialect,  Sepe,  or  Sejjin,  signifies 
"  running  water;"  and  hence  the  name  Mississippi.  De 
Soto  called  it  St.  Louis ;  and  Count  Frontenac  honored 
the  then  French  minister  of  marine  by  calling  it  Colbert. 
But  the  groat  Father  of  Waters  is  not  only  wonderful 
in  magnitude,  as  seen  to  the  living  world,  but  still  more 
amazing  beneath  the  reach  of  mortal  vision.  Or,  rather, 
it  is  supposed  to  be,  according  to  a  marvelous  theory  of 
Dr.  Percival,  late  geologist  for  the  State  of  Wiscon- 
sin. The  startling  discovery  of  boiling  water,  which 
suddenly  spouted  out  from  an  artesian  well  at  La 
Crosse,  induced  the  learned  gentleman  to  conclude 
that  far  beneath  the  bed  of  the  Mississippi  there  exists 
another  and  even  more  immense  stream  flowing  in  the 
same  direction,  and  whose  waters  are  of  much  too  high 
a  temperature  for  the  ordinary  preparation  of  soft- 
boiled  eggs.  This  strange  theory vhas  been  concurred 
in  by  "  Brick  Pomeroy,"  whose  paper  is  more  severely 
political  and  widely-circulated  than  any  other  journal 
west  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains.  And  the  probability 
is  that  he  intends  to  use  the  boiling  water  of  the  arte- 
sian well  to  generate  steam  for  propelling  those  mam- 
moth printing  presses  in  the  basement  of  that  splendid 
publishing  house  so  recently  erected  there  by  him. 


CHAPTEK    XXV. 


A  VERY  remarkable  peculiarity 
of  climate  in  Minnesota  is  that 
the  winters  are  equally  as  de- 
lightful as  the  summers.  And 
Southern  and  Eastern  people  of 
delicate  health  who  know  this 
fact,  actually  prefer  a  residence 
in  that  State  to  one  in  any  other 
place  during  the  frigid  months 
of  the  year.  Consumptives  who 
might  not  survive  the  chilly 
weather  of  "  raw "  localities,  will  find  the  winter  at- 
mosphere of  the  North-west  not  only  pleasant,  but 
marvelously  exhilarating.  No  matter  what  the  ther- 
mometer says.  For,  while  freezing  very  hard,  the  air  is 
generally  so  still  and  dry  that  smoke  from  the  chimneys 
will  ascend  perpendicularly  several  hundred  feet ;  while 
at  night,  a  lighted  candle  may  be  placed  out  of  doors 
without  perceptibly  flaring.  Numerous  invalids  are 
now  in  the  habit  of  spending  the  winter  in  Minnesota; 
and  since  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Minneapolis  and  St. 
16* 


370  CELESTIAL   PHENOMENA. 

Paul  Railroad  has  been  completed  all  the  way  through, 
the  number  will  soon  be  increased  to  thousands. 

Among   the   natural    wonders  of  Dakota   Land  are 

O 

many  interesting  celestial  phenomena.  And,  as  I  am 
such  an  enthusiastic  admirer  and  demonstrative  patron 
of  the  canine  species,  I  will  first  mention  the  PARHELIA, 
or  "  sun  do<i;s."  Imagine  a  scene  in  St.  Paul.  His  dav- 

O  o  * 

light  majesty,  old  King  Sol,  is  rising  beyond  Dayton's 
Bluif,  in  a  perfectly  transparent  atmosphere,  and  at- 
tended on  each  side  by  a  grand  parhelion,  nearly  as 
large  and  luminous  as  himself.  Mere  words  ai%e  inade- 
quate to  describe  the  atmospherical  display  produced 
by  their  combined  rays  shooting  horizontally  across  the 
perpendicular  columns  of  pure  white  smoke  curling  up 
from  a  thousand  chimneys ;  but  the  grand  sight  may 
be  seen  at  uncertain  times  during  the  winter,  in  Minne- 
sota. And  a  similar  scene  might  occur  in  the  evening, 
when  the  sun  goes  down  behind  the  western  bluff,  oppo- 
site Fort  Snelling. 

Then  sometimes  paraselenes,  or  "  moon  dogs,"  will  rise 
with  her  nocturnal  divinity,  pale  Queen  Luna,  in  the 
same  way ;  but  less  brightly,  and  perhaps  accompanied 
by  an  immense  circle  of  pure  white  Lumen  borealc,  simi- 
lar to  that  strange  halo  not  unfrequently  seen  around 
the  supposed  throne  of  the  chill-demon,  whose  freezing 
breath  silences  the  Polar  region  with  a  mystic  spell, 
which  can  not  be  broken  until  the  end  of  all  time ! 

Aquatically  addicted  "  pic-nickers "  are  supremely 
delighted  with  the  grand  "December  Steamboat  Ex- 
cursion"— a  time-honored  celebration  which  is  comfort- 
ably and  hilariously  observed  by  the  elite  citizens  near- 
ly every  winter — ice  permitting. 

The  mercury  in  the  thermometer  occasionally  goes 
down  very  low.  Sometimes  thirty,  forty,  and  even 


WJNTKU    IN    MINNESOTA. 


forty-five  degrees  below  zero  !  And  yet  the  usually 
clear  sky,  and  the  remarkable  purity  and  intense  still- 
ness of  the  atmosphere  will  so  fascinate  a  stranger  that 
all  idea  of  freezing  is  entirely  dissipated  by  pleasurable 
sensations  of  body  and  delightful  emotions  of  mind. 

I  enjoyed  a  palpable  and  practical  test  of  this  en- 
chanting peculiarity  of  Minnesota  "cold  weather,"  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  '6V.  It  occurred  while  I  was  tempo- 
rarily sojourning  at  the  Xicollet  House  ,  a  splendid  hotel 
in  the  City  of  Minneapolis,  kept  by  the  Gilson  Brothers, 
who  were  previously  known  in  connection  with  the  Inter- 
national Hotel  and  Taylor's  Saloon,  a  magnificent  pub- 
lic palace  formerly  existing  on  Broadway,  in  New  York, 
and  at  the  present  time  occupied  as  the  head-quarters 
of  the  "  Merchants'  Union  Express  Company,"  who  paid 
nearly  half  a  million  dollars  for  the  building  alone. 

We  were  discussing  the  beauties  of  the  scenery 
around  the  marvelousiy  flourishing  City  of  Minneapolis 
—  which  is  not  only  a  spirited  rival  to  St.  Paul,  but  des- 
tined to  be  part  and  parcel  of  the  latter  when  the  rapid 
improvements  of  the  future  shall  inseparably  unite  them 
with  intervening  edifices  of  business  and  elegant  pri- 
vate abodes  —  thus  forming  an  immense  metropolis  for 
the  great  North-west  ! 

The  Falls  of  St.  Anthony,  with  their  mills  and  their 
factories  propelled  by  the  greatest  available  water 
power  in  the  world,  were  wonderful  to  behold  ;  and,  by 
crossing  the  great  Suspension  Bridge,  I  might  visit 
that  colossal  structure  called  the  Winslow  House,  and 
also  a  certain  cellar  where  the  spirit  of  a  dead  man  is 
said  to  appear.  But  had  I  seen  the  Falls  of  Minnehaha 
in  their  winter  garb  of  ice? 

No.  That  was  something  I  had  never  seen.  I  could 
easily  do  so,  at  almost  any  hour  in  the  day,  by  cars  on 


372  "LOUISE  AND  i." 

the  Minnesota  Valley  Railway ;  yet  did  not  imagine 
that  a  waterfall  was  attractive  when  the  thermometer 
stood  eleven  degrees  below  zero. 

Snow  had  fallen  during  the  previous  night,  and  was 
then  whirling  in  the  air.  So  I  imagined  that  it  must  be 
terribly  cold.  And  that  thought  presented  itself  with 
an  involuntary  shiver  when  Mr.  Horsey,  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  an  extensive  livery  establishment  near  the 
Nicollet  House,  in  Minneapolis,  insisted  that  I  should 
drive  one  of  their  spirited  teams  down  to  Minnehaha. 

To  that  proposition,  I  ejaculated  something  like 
"  Good  gracious !  I'd  be  frozen  stiff  when  I  arrived 
there,  if  I  drove  down  while  the  thermometer  indicated 
such  a  frightful  depression  !" 

Horsey  laughed  at  my  fears,  and  said  that  if  I  would 
accept  a  pair  of  stylish  and  nimble  roadsters,  one  of  his 
expert  drivers  should  "put  them  through."  He  did 
not  explain  what  he  meant  by  "  through ;"  but  I  readily 
comprehended  the  "  put ;"  and  finally  decided  to  ven- 
ture, upon  one  condition. 

A  ride  of  four  miles,  with  the  thermometer  eleven 
degrees  below  zero,  to  look  at  Minnehaha,  without  a 
lady  companion  to  cheer  and  inspire  me  on  the  way, 
would  be  a  prosy  exit  from  life ;  and  I  at  once  thought 
of  Louise.  Perhaps  she  might  be  induced  to  share  my 
fate.  I  shall  not  mention  her  other  name  in  this  con- 
nection. Though  the  reader  must  not  imagine  her  to 
have  been  a  myth.  She  was  real  and  living,  with  an 
avoirdupois  weight  of  just  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
pounds,  and  picking  up  half  a  pound  or  so  more  every 
day.  There  is  something  very  pretty  in  the  name  of 
"  Louise."  It  always  comes  musically  to  my  ear.  And 
I  particularly  admire  a  certain  bright-eyed  lady,  who 
invariably  responds  with  a  sweet  smile  when  I  interrog- 


MIXNEHAHA    ENTOMBED    IN    ICE.  373 

atively  .articulate  the  vowel  melody  of  its  dual  sound. 
Well,  Louise's  home  is  somewhere  near  the  Hudson 
River.  She  visited  Minnesota  for  her  health,  and  then 
asked  permission  to  reside  there  forever. 

"  Minnehalia  !"  she  cried.  "  Yes,  I'll  be  ready  in  no 
time !"  . 

"  That's  quick  enough  !"  thought  I.  And  she  seemed 
highly  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  freezing  herself  to 
death  in  such  a  very  romantic  excursion.  So  I  said  to 
Horsey,  "  We'll  go*!" 

"  All  right !"  he  responded,  with  that  pleasant  twinkle 
so  frequently  seen  in  his  eye.  And,  accordingly,  Louise 
and  I  were  soon  seated  together  in  a  stylish  vehicle,  en 
route  to  the  Falls.  My  fair  companion  securely  covered 
her  ears ;  and  so  did  the  son  of  Ethiop  who  managed 
the  reins ;  while  my  whole  attire  remained  simply  and 
precisely  as  I  wear  it  at  home  in  New  York  City.  I 
put  nothing  over  my  ears ;  yet  a  warmly-lined  buffalo 
robe  enveloped  our  feet  and  otherwise  protected  us  from 
the  cold.  And,  after  an  hour's  ride,  we  were  snugly 
toasting  ourselves  by  the  fire  at  F hotel  de  shantie,  while 
criticising  the  melancholy  remains  of  a  despoiled  regis- 
ter which  lay  upon  a  table  in  the  public  room,  from  the 
suggestive  contents  of  which  an  ingenious  writer  might 
glean  enough  for  a  very  readable  volume  in  either  comic 
poetry  or  melancholy  prose.  But  Louise  was  impatient- 
ly anxious  to  realize  the  satisfaction  of  contemplating 
the  beautiful  cascade,  and  I  closed  the  mutilated  volume 
very  abruptly  in  response  to  her  persistent  exclamation 
of  "  Do  come !" 

And  then,  arm  in  arm,  out  in  the  cold,  with  pleasantly 
anticipative  emotions,  we  cautiously  descended  the  slip- 
pery path  to  that  particular  stand-point  near  the  mystic 
tree,  against  which  so  many  thousands  have  leaned,  one 


SHIVERING    ROMANCE.  375 

l>y  one,  for  sale  support  while  abstractedly  lost  in  rap- 
ture with  their  first  glimpse  of  the  loveliest  waterfall  in 
all  the  world.  I  need  not  relate  how  we  shivered  in 
speechless  admiration ;  for  the  tongue  of  a  stranger  sel- 
dom disturbs  the  exquisite  silence  of  the  soul,  which  is 
sure  to  be  enjoyed  at  that  particular  moment,  and  per- 
haps never  experienced  so  sweetly  again  in  any  emo- 
tional pleasure  of  remaining-  life. 

"Is  that  all?"  at  length  bursted  Louise,  in  a  sadly  dis- 
appointed tone.  I  could  not  help  regretting  her  lack 
of  enthusiasm ;  but  the  comical  expression  just  then 
pervading  her  countenance  from  the  effects  of  such  a 
lengthy  exposure  in  unaccustomed  cold,  and  suddenly 
"  blasted  hope,"  thx*ew  me  into  a  violent  fit  of  laughter, 
which  in  turn  so  startled  her  that  she  grasped  my  arm 
with  a  desperate  violence  that  came  very  near  precipi- 
tating us  both  together  head  foremost  over  the  rocks 
into  the  abyss  of  water  apparently  boiling  beneath  the 
ice  below.  Her  pretty  cheeks  were  tinged  to  the  hight 
of  rosy  red ;  yet  her  melting  eyes  seemed  rather  dim ; 
and  her  luscious  lips  were  tightly  drawn  and  palely  blue. 
An  odd  semblance  for  sanguine  beauty  to  wear.  But 
she  was  Louise,  nevertheless.  And  I  fancy  that  a  simi- 
lar adventure  would  temporarily  distort  and  discolor 
the  face  of  any  other  lovely  woman. 

Poets  and  authors  have  exhausted  themselves  trying 
to  picture  Minnehaha,  without  a  word  touching  its  sub- 
limity in  winter.  And  Louise  was  too  full  of  ideal  ex- 
pectancy to  realize  satisfaction  from  what  she  then 
beheld. 

"  You  must  not  reproach  me  !"  said  I.  "What  Long- 
fellow wrote  was  no  fault,  or  merit  of  mine !" 

Nor  could  I  I'emove  those  huge  columns  of  ice  which 
had  crept  up  around  the  gorge  until  only  a  small  por- 


376 


A    WOULD    OF    GLASS. 


tion  of  the  upper  part  of  the  cascade  was  visible  to  her 
sight.  It  was  too  bad,  after  she  had  been  for  years  pic- 
turing in  her  imagination 

How  the  Laughing  Waters  sweetly  dance  and  play 
In  the  joyous  sunshine  of  a  summer's  day. 
But  she  looked  again ;  and  then  saw  something  grand 
to  admire.  For  the  surrounding  objects  below  the  Falls 
were  all  covered  with  ice,  presenting  the  most  singularly 
sublime  spectacle  that  I  ever  beheld.  Perhaps  the 
reader  can  imagine  a  world  of  pure,  white  glass,  or 
rather  a  magic  scene  of  earth,  rocks,  stones,  bushes  and 
trees,  with  every  leaf  and  limb  congealed  into  a  bright- 
ly-crystallized form,  while  a  million  sparkling  lights,  re- 
flected from  the  rays  of  the  blazing  sun,  are  gleaming 
with  gorgeous  splendor  in  the  frosty  air !  Such  a  pic- 
ture will  disclose  an  ideal  vision  of  what  the  external 
features  of  Minnehaha  represent  when  its  eternally 
showering  mists  have  frozen  in  their  fall !  So,  instead 
of  hastening  away,  we  lingered  on  in  contemplation  of 
the  novel  scene,  which  seemed  to  grow  more  and  more 
enchanting  as  we  gazed.  And  during  the  remainder  of 
our  lives,  neither  of  us  can  forget  the  strange  delight 
experienced  then.  But  there  was  a  sadness  in  the  roar- 
ing of  the  Falls.  For,  shivering 

Together  there,  beneath  that  wintry  sky, 
We  heard  the  Weejnng  Waters  gurgle  and  sigh, 
While  clad  in  funeral  shrouds  of  drifting  snow, 
They  darted  to  their  icy  tomb  below. 

But  our  toes  were  getting  numb  with  cold ;  and  so 
we  scrambled  back  to  the  quaint  little  hotel  standing 
near.  Then,  promising  to  repeat  our  visit  again  the  fol- 
lowing summer,  we  returned  to  the  Nicollet  House, 
after  an  absence  of  only  four  hours.  And,  although  the 
weather  must  have  boon  very  cold,  we  each  admitted 


INTERNATIONAL    HOTEL. 


37V 


that  our  suffering  was  less  than  it  would  have  been  with 
the  thermometer  twenty  degrees  above  zero  in  the  raw 
atmosphere  sometimes  experienced  at  home. 

I  also  discovered  a  great  mistake  on  the  part  of  the 
colored  boy  who  drove  us  to  the  Falls.  He  tied  up  his 
ears  so  warmly  with  "  comforters "  and  furs,  that  they 
became  moist  from  perspiration ;  and  then,  when  a  dis- 
placement of  the  covering  let  in  the  outer  air,  they 
were  not  only  all  the  more  susceptible  to  the  frost,  but 
liable  to  instantly  freeze.  This  hint  may  serve  to  cau- 
tion "  white  folks  "  against  too  much  fussy  bundling  up 
instead  of  endeavoring  to  keep  the  exposed  features 
dry,  and  warm  from  within. 


Hon.  Lieutenant-Colonel  \V.  K.  Marshall,  the  present 
very  popular  Governor  of  Minnesota.    (1813.) 


impatient  "  Sight-seers,"  Starting  ou  a  Tour. 

Many  tourists  who  annually  visit  St.  Paul  are  sure  to 
stop  at  Park  Place  Hold,  which  is  generally  filled  with 
gay  cavaliers  and  charming  belles  from  Eastern  and 
Southern  cities.  The  edifice  stands  upon  Summit  ave- 
nue, in  the  vicinity  of  the  State  Capitol,  and  nearly  all 
its  two  hundred  windows  overlook  the  city.  The  waters 
of  the  majestic  river,  and  the  colossal  bluffs  beyond, 
give  a  picturesque  and  singularly  romantic  background 
to  the  extended  view.  The  apartments  are  all  well- 
furnished  and  airy,  and  many  of  them  especially  ar- 
ranged for  the  convenience  and  comfort  of  families. 
And  there  is  a  shady  park  adjoining  the  house,  in  which 
the  ladies  may  amuse  themselves  at  croquet  and  other 
health-improving  games,  while  the  little  ones  drive 
"goat-carts"  and  extemporize  circuses,  if  they  will. 
And  then  at  even-tide,  when  tell-tale  blushes  are  hid- 
den from  sight,  and  the  honeyed  words  of  panting 


THE   SUMMIT    HOUSE. 


379 


ardor  fall  in  accents  soft  and  low,  "  the  old  love  or  the 
new  "  may  sigh  or  dream  there  beneath  the  foliage  of 
the  trees.  Many  pleasant  hours  were  spent  in  the  Park 
Place  Hotel  l)y  some  who  now  have  passed  away.  But 
in  their  places  another  and  another  throng  of  buoyant 
hearts  return  from  year  to  year. 


A  Hungry  Tourist  Left.  Behind- 


The  Summit  House  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  city 
and  surrounding  country — the  panoramic  perspective 
reaching  eight  to  ten  miles  down  the  Mississippi,  four 
miles  up  the  same  river,  and  at  least  fifteen  miles  up  the 
enchanting  valley  of  the  Minnesota,  which  lies  between 
frowning  high  hills,  where  the  flashing  steel-blue  waters 
of  its  serpentine  stream  resemble  a  poetical  vision  of 
beauty,  appearing  and  disappearing  among  the  green 
verdure  of  fairy  meadows  and  miniature  trees.  The  old 
trading-post  of  Mendota  is  plainly  in  sight ;  and  the 
quaint  little  church  of  St.  Peter's  can  also  be  seen.  In 
Dakota  dialect,  the  word  mendota  signifies  "  meeting  of 
the  waters."  And  there  we  can  behold  the  great 
Father  of  Rivers  caressing  his  beautiful  daughter,  as 
she  seems  to  come  laughingly  and  lovingly  unto  his 


880  MERCHANTS'  HOTEL. 

panting,  broad  bosom.  The  Summit  House  is  a  large, 
comfortable,  and  well-kept  hotel,  situated  upon  the 
very  verge  of  the  great  bluff  overlooking  the  mighty 
river,  and  immediately  upon  Summit  avenue,  the  boule- 
vard of  the  aristocratic  part  of  the  city,  with  its  mag- 
nificent residences  and  suburban  villas,  all  continually 
enlivened  by  equipages  dashing  along  the  beautiful  and 
shady  drive.  It  is  not  a  commercial  house ;  being  more 
particularly  frequented  by  wealthy  tourists  and  pleasure- 
seekers,  whose  refined  tastes  enable  them  to  realize  the 
enjoyment  of  such  a  delightful  i-etreat. 

Commercial  people,  business  men  and  hurrying  trav- 
elers, frequent  the  Merchants'  Hotel ;  which,  though  im- 
mensely large  and  "  roomy,"  was  never  known  to  have 
an  empty  bed.  Its  contiguity  to  the  levee  and  railroad 
depots,  is  some  inducement  to  strangers.  But  the  great 
popularity  of  Col.  Shaw,  the  "jolly  landlord,"  would 
keep  any  house  continually  filled,  if  his  acquaintances 
expected  to  find  him  there.  When  I  say  his  acquaint- 
ances, I  mean  all  those  who  have  once  tested  his  hospi- 
tality. It  is  now  a  generally  admitted  fact  that  many 
hotel  proprietors  are  entirely  too  autocratic  for  their 
position.  And  I  once  overheard  the  unsocial  monarch 
of  a  great  caravansera  in  his  closet-sanctum  bewailing  a 
lack  of  the  popularity  he  so  much  craved!  But  Col. 
Shaw  is  always  to  be  seen.  And  he  is  sure  to  have  a 
welcome  smile  and  a  cordial  shake  of  the  hand  for  either 
rich  or  poor  who  seek  food  and  shelter  in  his  house. 
The  reader  will  remember  that  Lady  Levasseur  and 
Fleurette  made  their  home  at  this  hotel  for  several 
months  after  arriving  in  St.  Paul. 

It  was  at  the  Merchants'  Hotel  where  I  became  ac- 
quainted with  hio  highness  (?)  Po-f/o-na-yhe-shick,  the 


"  HOLE-IN-THE-DAY '     ON   A    SPREE.  381 

erratically  misanthropic  Chippeway  chief,  whose  famil- 
iar title,  from  some  analogical  inference  totally  beyond 
my  exploration  of  "Injun  lore,"  is  admitted  even  by 
himself  to  be  Hole-in-the-day.  He  was  partly  inclined 
to  assist  in  the  extermination  of  the  white  race  as 
demonstratively  proposed  by  the  Sioux  in  '62  ;  but  for- 
tunately his  hereditary  abhorrence  for  Little  Crow 
deterred  him  from  joining  in  the  slaughter.  And  thus 
he  escaped  the  vengeance  that  would  have  overtaken 
him  as  it  did  his  mortal  enemy.  With  bitter  contempt 
he  informed  me  how  his  (Chippeway)  grandfather  be- 
stowed that  ornithological  sobriquet  upon  the  grand- 
father of  his  late  foe  because  the  old  fellow  was  so  pi-oud 
of  wearing:  a  crow's  skin  across  his  breast  like  a  shield. 

O 

He  also  expressed  much  delight  when  alluding  to  the 
manner  of  Little  Crow's  death.  That  wicked  old  Sioux 
perished  in  the  vicinity  of  Minne-Wakan,  or  Devil  Lake, 
whither  ho  fled,  vainly  hoping  to  escape  pursuit.  And 
visitors  to  St.  Paul  may  now  see  his  skeleton  among  the 
curious  relics  on  exhibition  in  the  rooms  of  the  Minne- 
sota Historical  Society.  He  was  formerly  chief  of  the 
Light-foot  Band,  who  inhabited  the  village  of  Kaposia, 
a  locality  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  a  few  miles 
below  the  city,  and  now  called  Pig's  Eye.  His  Indian 
name  was  Tah-o-ah-ta-doo-ta,  His  Scarlet  People." 

But  whenever  Hole-in-the-day  visits  St.  Paul,  his 
excessive  inebriety  is  sure  to  terminate  in  jail.  He 
said  to  me,  "  Chippeway  chief  love  rum.  White  man, 
stranger,  much- whiskers  (long-beard),  come  drink  with 
Injun.  No  ?  Augh  !  Then  big  Injun  drink  for  white 
man  too.  Rum  !  Big  Injun  drink  much  rum  !"  He 
soon  kicked  up  a  pleasant  little  row,  and  somebody 
called  in  two  sti'ong  policemen  to  represent  the  munici- 
pal law.  His  correct  portrait  is  on  the  next  page. 


PO-GO-^A-GHK-SHICK  ;  or  "  Hole  in  the  Day."    The  number  of 

Eagle  Plumes  on  his  head  indicate  how  many  murders  he  has 

committed;  but  tell  us  of  no  good  lie  ever  did. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 


THE  Drives  around  !St.  Paul 
are  numerous  and  delightful. 
They  include  views  of  trans- 
parent lakes,  rapid  streams, 
verdant  mountain  ranges  fad- 
ing awav  on  the  distant  hori- 

o  •/ 

zon,  leaping  cascades,  wild 
and  rugged  ravines,  prime- 
val forests,  cool  bubbling 
springs,  vine-embowered  cot- 
tages, dark  gloomy  caves, 
vast  rolling  prairies,  grain  fields  and  farms,  gigantic 
bluffs,  and  the  great  Father  of  Waters — more  wonder- 
ful than  all ! 

By  driving  three  miles  to  the  south-east,  a  panoramic 
view  may  be  had  from  the  top  of  Mount  Prospect.  But 
to  be  realized,  the  eye  must  see  all  that  as  it  really  is. 
Description  will  fail  to  paint  its  beauty  here.  There  is 
the  city,  away  down  below,  apparently  a  variegated 
cluster  of  miniature  abodes,  where  Liliputians  might 
dwell  near  the  banks  of  the  grandly  beautiful  stream 


384  DELIGHTFUL    DRIVES. 

which  bears  upon  its  silvery  bosom  those  floating 
palaces,  with  their  banners  of  "  red,  white  and  blue " 
streaming  in  the  breeze,  while  bands  of  music  pour 
forth  sweet  lullabies  or  melodiously  inspire  the  balmy 
air.  And  then,  through  dim  distance  far  beyond,  the 
enchanting  scene  becomes  "  absorbed,  like  memory  in  a 
dream !" 

"  The  Round  Trip  "  is  about  twenty-three  miles  in  all. 
First,  up  the  river-drive;  and  while  dashing  out  Sum- 
mit avenue  there  is  a  grand  view  of  the  mighty  stream 
and  the  great,  long  bluff  beyond.  That  solitary  pine, 
beneath  which  I  sat  so  long  in  reverie  one  November 
night,  may  also  be  seen  away  over  there  near  the 
curious  mound  of  round  blue  stones,  where,  at  the  ris- 
ing of  each  full  moon,  Old  Betz  is  sure  to  add  still 
another  silent  memento  in  evidence  of  eternal  grief  for 
her  first-born  child.  Then,  a  few  minutes  at  Fountain 
Cascade,  with  a  peep  at  the  mouth  of  that  unexplored 
Cave,  out  of  which  ever  flows  a  bright  rivulet  of  delicious 
water.  The  "FairiesT  Glen,"  with  its  tiny  jet  d'eau,  and 
also  the  romantically  spurting  Mazas-ka,  or  "  silvery  fall," 
point  the  way  to  Bridal  Veil,  Silver  Cascade  (which  I 
have  had  drawn  and  engraved  for  the  reader),  and  the 
Mineral  Springs.  The  roaring  of  "  many  waters "  will 
break  upon  the  ear,  as  the  beautiful  cities  of  St.  Anthony 
and  Minneapolis  appear,  with  a  showery  mist  sparkling 
in  the  sunlight  between  them,  to  startle  the  beholder's 
mind  after  calmly  dreaming  upon  the  river  scenery  of 
gorges  and  bluffs  that  were  passed  in  the  delightful 
journey  thither. 

Then  across  the  Suspension  Bridge  (which,  I  am  told, 
was  originally  devised  and  erected  by  the  intrepid 
Frank  Steele,  that  pioneering  gentleman  who  built  the 
first  saw-mill  in  the  State,  near  the  great  Falls.  He  also 


LSGEND   OF   "  ANPETUSAPA."  385 

started  the  first  lumber-train  in  that  region,  by  hitching 
a  single  ox  to  a  rude  cart,  and  now  virtually  owns  a 
large  tract  of  land  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  includ- 
ing the  Falls  of  Minnehaha,  Fort  Snelling,  and  the  Ferry 
near  the  fort,  worth  nearly  half  a  million  dollars). 

While  crossing  the  river  at  a  compulsory  gait  of  "  not 
faster  than  a  walk,"  there  is  a  fitting  pause  to  call  up 
the  legend  of  Anpetusapa,  whose  jealousy  was  aroused 
by  the  presence  of  a  rival  wife,  whom  her  husband 
brought  into  his  teepee.  She  took  her  infant  child  in 
her  arms  and  entered  a  canoe  above  the  Falls.  Then, 
pushing  the  frail  bark  out  into  the  swift  current  of  the 
mighty  stream,  she  chanted  a  death-dirge  while  plung- 
ing down  among  the  boiling  waters  below.  That  was 
many  years  before  the  first  pale-face  saw  the  Falls ;  and 
in  the  morning  mist  the  Indians  believe  that  they  can 
still  perceive  the  spirit  of  the  mother,  with  her  child 
clinging  around  her  neck,  while  her  wailing  death-song 
swells  above  the  loud  cataract  roar  of  the  element  into 
which  she  disappears. 

I  fancy  there  is  no  Indian  wife  now  living  in  Dakota 
Land  who  would  consider  the  presence  of  one  or  a 
dozen  rivals  in  her  husband's  teepee  sufficiently  aggra- 
vating to  warrant  the  immortalizing  of  her  name  in  that 
tragically  romantic  way.  The  Indians  originally  called 
the  great  falls  Kaboh  Bikah,  which  signifies  "  Broken 
Rocks;"  and  they  now  bestow  that  name  upon  the 
Falls  of  Minnehaha.  Having  crossed  over,  the  next 
enjoyment  should  be  a  sumptuous  dinner  at  the  "  Nicol- 
let  House."  After  which,  while  smoking  a  cigar  (if  the 
ladies  do  not  object),  an  extensive  view  of  the  City  of 
Minneapolis  and  its  surroundings  may  be  obtained  from 
the  lofty  cupola  of  that  grand  hotel.  A  glance  at  the 
aqueous  and  mechanical  wonders  of  those  immense  roar- 
17 


386  DEVOTION   OF   "SCARLET   DOVE. 

ing  and  rumbling  mills  need  not  take  long ;  and  then 
the  coachman  will  announce  that  he  is  ready  for  motion 
again.  In  turn,  the  "  Laughing  Waters,"  Fort  Snelling, 
the  valley  of  the  Minnesota  River,  and  Mendota  will  be 
seen.  There  is  another  legend  connected  wTith  Pilot 
Knob,  that  great,  dark  bluff  beyond  where  the  rivers 
come  together. 

More  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  Eagle  Eye,  the  son 
of  a  great  war  prophet,  won  the  love  of  a  maiden  called 
Scarlet  Dove.  And  while  on  a  hunting  expedition  near 
the  "  Lake  of  Tears,"  he  was  accidentally  killed  by  a 
friend.  But  he  uttered  the  name  of  Scarlet  Dove  with 
his  last  breath.  After  mourning  a  few  days  and  cutting 
her  flesh,  she  subsided  into  silent  grief,  and  wrapped 
the  corpse  of  her  lover  in  skins  to  carry  upon  her  back 
all  through  the  long  day's  march.  At  night  she  laid  it 
out  upon  a  scaffold  erected  with  her  own  hands.  And 
thus  she  continued  wearily  carrying  the  ghastly  corpse 
by  day  and  mourning  beneath  it  at  night,  for  more 
than  a  hundred  miles ! 

Finally  arriving  at  Pilot  Knob,  Scarlet  Dove  built 
her  last  scaffold  overlooking  the  spot  where  the  antique 
chapel  of  St.  Peter  now  stands.  Placing  the  remains 
of  Eagle  Eye  thereupon,  she  took  her  portage  strap 
with  which  she  had  been  carrying  them  so  far  and  so 
long,  and  then  hung  herself  to  the  scaffold  and  died. 

After  crossing  the  "  Magic  Ferry,"  the  road  may  be 
up  the  high  hill,  or  along  the  meandering  glen.  In 
either  choice,  the  mind  will  be  entirely  lost  in  rapture 
made  delicious  with  a  mental  comparison  of  the  poetic- 
ally romantic  names  of  Osceola  and  Minneineeopa  while 
rolling  back  into  the  bright  new  City  of  St.  Paul, 
scarcely  conscious  whether  the  past  six  hours  were  en- 
chanting reality  or  a  kaleidoscopic  delusion ;  and  all  at 


"BEAUTY  AND  FASHION."  387 

a  trifling  cost,  as  proven  by  the  reasonable  charges  of 
the  livery  men,  who,  smiling,  inquire  "  How  were  you 
pleased?" 

Lake  Como  is  three  miles  to  the  north,  through  a 
rolling  and  romantic  "  oak  opening,"  which  terminates 
at  a  remarkably  pleasant  spot.  The  waters  of  the  lake 
are  the  clearest  I  ever  saw.  And  millions  of  fish  may 
be  seen  darting  and  leaping  in  those  scaly  pastimes  pe- 
culiar to  the  finny  tribe.  Hotels,  summer  residences, 
and  rural  cottages  adorn  the  vicinity,  and  wealthy  citi- 
zens love  to  congregate  there.  Equipages,  quite  as 
stylish  as  anything  in  New  York  City,  are  frequently 
met  going  to  or  returning  from  the  lake. 

The  track  is  particularly  delightful  on  a  summer 
evening.  Lovers  choose  it  after  sundown,  in  the  soft 
twilight,  or  beneath  the  gentle  rays  of  the  silvery 
moon. 

A  twilight  drive  out  there  is  very  pleasant  in  Novem- 
ber. I  ascertained  that  fact  by  riding  thither  with  Mr. 
Webb,  the  owner  of  that  celebrated  team,  Beauty  and 
Fashion,  as  shown  in  the  illustration  at  the  beginning 
of  this  chapter.  Beauty  is  a  superb  iron-gray,  and 
Fashion  a  splendid  black.  They  flew  out  to  the  lake 
in  fine  style ;  and  so  swiftly,  that  I  was  obliged  to  shut 
one  eye  and  hold  on  to  my  hat.  It  was  a  dashing  flight, 
and  terminated  very  unexpectedly  to  me  in  a  contest 
and  a  sensation. 

Just  beyond  the  hill  overlooking  the  city,  I  noticed 
that  Webb  seemed  rather  uneasy,  and  I  asked  him  the 
cause. 

"  He's  coming !"  said  Webb,  in  a  feeble  tone  of  voice, 
followed  by  an  encouraging  chirp  to  Fashion  ! 

"  Who's  coming  ?"  quoth  I,  with  a  look  of  inquiry 
through  the  corner  of  my  open  eye. 


388  A   RACE   TO   LAKE   COMO. 

"  Farmer  Denton !  I  hate  to  let  him  pass ;  but  his 
team  beats  anything  I  ever  saw !" 

I  heard  a  terrific  clattering  of  hoofs  in  the  rear,  and 
began  to  feel  my  own  blood  rising. 

"Pull  tighter!"  I  suggested,  with  a  nudge. 

"  Can't  pull  any  tighter  than  I  am !" 

"  Then  sing  out,  and  let  'em  go !"  was  my  next  sug- 
gestion. 

"  That  won't  do ;  they'll  break  and  run  !" 

"  Keep  'em  steady,  then !"  I  said.  "  And  look  alive, 
now !" 

Quickly  doubling  up  my  forefinger,  I  thrust  it  into 
my  mouth.  The  clattering  of  Denton's  team  behind  us 
seemed  to  come  nearer  and  nearer  at  a  very  rapid  gait ; 
and  Webb  groaned : 

"  By  George !  I  believe  he's  bound  to  pass  !" 

At  that  instant,  I  blew  with  all  my  might.  And  such 
a  blast !  Beauty  and  Fashion  must  have  fancied  the 
shrill  scream  to  be  an  Indian  war-whoop,  or  some  other 
sudden  premonition  of  terrible  destruction.  It  was  at 
least  a  tolerable  imitation  of  a  full-grown  locomotive 
signal. 

"  Hall'ow !"  ejaculated  Webb,  as  his  horses  shot  ahead 
like  two  wrild  arrows. 

But  the  alarm  that  put  his  horses  down  to  a  quicker 
gait,  broke  up  Denton's  team.  And  so  we  arrived  at 
Como  first. 

Farmer  Denton  afterward  said :  "  That  wan't  fair !" 

Perhaps  not.  Yet  fair  or  foul,  it  forever  settled  the 
contest  between  his  bays,  and  Webb's  gray  and  black ; 
and  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  gentleman  farmer  will 
never  pass  Beauty  and  Fashion  again,  while  Webb  holds 
their  reins. 

But  that  same  evening,  after  our  return  to  St.  Paul,  I 


THAT    "  LOST   KEY  !' 


389 


saw  Farmer  Denton,  and  Mr.  Dalryraple,  who  is  com- 
monly called  the  "  Minnesota  Farmer,"  "  confidentially  " 
seated  vis-a-vis  in  the  remotest  corner  of  the  gentlemen's 
parlor  at  the  International  Hotel,  and  evidently  dis- 
cussing the  merits  of  some  new  enterprise.  I  judged 
what  the  nature  of  their  tete-a-tete  might  be  from  the 
meditative  attitude  of  Dalrymple,  whose  wide-brimmed 
hat  of  "  Southern  dimension  "  and  style,  slantingly  con- 
cealed his  features,  while  Denton  vigorously  manipu- 
lated the  tip  of  his  nose — a  very  inelegant  but  apparent- 
ly soothing  habit,  to  which  he  always  was  addicted 
when  absorbed  in  speculative  deliberation.  Perhaps  it 
would  interest  the  reader  to  learn  that  Dalrymple  had 
something  of  a  wheat  crop  last  season.  From  only  one 
thousand  and  seven  hundred  acres  of  land,  he  gathered 
over  thirty-five  thousand  bushels  of  grain ;  which,  at 
the  price  then  ruling  the  market,  certainly  netted  him  a 
comfortable  little  income.  No  wonder  they  call  him 
the  "  Minnesota  Farmer !"  And  tourists  who  are  inter- 
ested in  modern  agriculture  will  be  pleased  to  form  a 
personal  acquaintance  with  him,  and  learn  to  what  an 
immense  extent  he  is  carrying  it  on.  He  is  an  unas- 
suming, intelligent  and  pleasant  man.  I  may  add  that 
he  and  Denton  are  very  intimate  friends. 

And  while  those  representative  farmers  were  matur- 
ing their  plans  for  greater  aggrandizement  in  the 
future,  I  luckily  slipped  into  a  current  of  simple  events, 
which  unexpectedly  led  me  on  to  an  interesting,  if  not 
actually  startling  discovery. 

In  the  second  chapter  of  this  extemporaneously  writ- 
ten volume  of  heteroscian  characters  and  agglomerated 
scenes,  there  is  an  allusion  to  a  Lost  Key,  which  I  acci- 
dentally found  one  day.  I  will  here  explain  what  that 
means ;  and  at  the  same  time  reveal  how  it  enabled  me 


ACCEPTING    AN    INVITATION.  391 

to  unlock  the  mystery  which  had  been  so  long  con- 
cealing the  ultimate  fate  of  Pierre  Parrant,  the  notori- 
ous old  whisky-trafficker,  who  impiously  retarded  the 
good  results  labored  for  by  the  better  part  of  the  com- 
munity identified  with  the  early  history  of  St.  Paul. 

But  first  I  will  simply  recur  to  that  adventure  near 
the  square  rock  below  Mendota,  where  Kaskadino  and 
Old  Betz  each  played  a  part  in  lieu  of  Florinda.  Dur- 
ing the  encounter  of  the  treacherous  half-breed  and 
Parrant,  the  latter  was  supposed  to  have  been  killed. 
But  almost  immediately  after  the  tragedy  his  body  and 
his  canoe  disappeared.  And  the  following  day  he  was 
seen  back  again  in  his  whisky-shanty  at  St.  Paul.  His 
head  was  bandaged,  and  he  looked  remarkably  pale. 
He  seemed  to  be  unusually  active ;  but  during  the  en- 
tire day  was  not  heard  to  speak.  At  night,  a  candle 
was  left  burning  near  his  bed  until  it  flickered  out  at 
the  end  of  the  wick.  The  next  morning  Parrant  could 
not  be  found. 

Nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  had  elapsed  after  the 
disappearance  of  the  old  whisky-trader,  when,  while 
Denton  and  Dalrymple  were  discussing  their  plans,  as 
already  stated,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  "  Over- 
seer," who  was  superintending  a  gang  of  laborers  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  opening  the  route  for  the  upper 
division  of  the  St.  Paul  and  Chicago  Railway,  at  that 
time  just  begun.  The  Overseer  was  a  good-natured 
man,  and  kindly  invited  me  to  drive  down  and  see  how 
they  got  along.  But  the  invitation  did  not  strike  me 
as  being  a  very  tempting  one.  However,  just  then 
Professor  Dodge  chanced  to  join  us ;  and  he  said,  "  Go, 
by  all  means !"  I  accordingly  thanked  the  man,  and 
promised  to  come. 

The  natne  of  Ossian  E.  Dodge  is  familiar  to  almost 


392  A   GENIUS   IN    ST.  PAUL. 

every  one  in  the  United  States.  As  a  poet,  a  musician 
and  a  wit,  he  is  quite  inimitable.  Thousands  remember 
him  as  the  editor  of  the  "  Boston  Literary  Museum !" 
At  present  he  is  one  of  the  most  enterprising  geniuses 
in  St.  Paul.  He  went  to  Minnesota,  some  years  ago,  for 
the  health  of  one  of  his  little  boys.  The  lad  was  soon 
afflicted  with  very  rosy  cheeks,  and  the  father  enthu- 
siastically concluded  to  stay.  Having  already  laid  up 
a  snug  fortune  by  the  exercise  of  his  talents  as  a  writer 
and  a  vocalist,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  nearly  all 
over  the  world,  he  said  to  himself: 

"  I'll  travel  no  further !  Paradise  is  here  !" 
But  Professor  Dodge  is  endowed  with  one  of  those 
extraordinary  intellects  which  are  too  irrepressible  for 
inactivity  anywhere.  And  lie  is  remarkably  fond  of 
blending  ideality  with  the  substantial  requirements  of 
life;  in  which  rare  peculiarity  he  is  more  than  a  match 
for  a  dozen  "wiseacres"  who  persist  in  ciphering  out 
original  problems  by  exploded  or  obsolete  rules.  He 
has  invested  largely  in  city  lots,  and  also  built  a  number 
of  model  cottages,  each  one  of  them  being  ornamentally 
designated  by  an  appropriate  name.  Indeed,  he  is  never 
at  a  loss  to  find  the  right  name  for  anything.  He  dwells 
in  Alpine  Cottage,  an  unique  edifice,  constructed  to  suit 
himself.  His  extensive  Cabinet  of  Indian  relics,  curios- 
ities culled  from  nature  and  produced  by  art,  including 
many  antiquities  and  modern  inventions,  is  not  sur- 
passed by  that  of  any  other  gentleman  in  this  country. 
Among  the  relics  of  historic  interest  treasured  up  by 
Professor  Dodge,  is  the  "  sacred  pipe,"  or  Calumet  of 
Peace,  formerly  owned  by  Winnesheik,  the  war-chief 
of  the  Winnebago  nation.  (The  pipe  is  seen  in  the 
hands  of  the  chief  as  he  "  squatted  "  to  have  his  photo- 
graph taken  for  the  engraving  which  adorns  the  second 


THE  CALUMET  OF  PEACE.  393 

chapter  of  this  volume.)  It  was  made  from  a  very  fine- 
grained, soft  red-stone,  quarried  from  the  "Red-stone 
Ledge"  of  the  Yellow-stone  River.  There  are  two 
colors  used  for  Indian  calumets.  The  blue  represents 
the  "  good  spirit  of  peace ;"  the  dull  red,  that  of  the 
"  evil  spirit  of  war."  The  "  evil "  is  esteemed  more  than 
the  "  good."  Indian  like !  They  call  the  red-stone 
eyanskah.  When  thoroughly  polished,  it  is  not  only 
impervious  to  acids,  but  perfectly  infusible. 

So  sacred  have  the  Indians  considered  this  stone,  that 
for  nearly  fifty  years  they  guarded  the  quarry  night  and 
day  from  the  approach  of  white  men.  But,  since  the 
great  massacre  of  '62,  there  is  no  holy  ground  to  the 
foot  of  the  pale-face  in  any  part  of  Minnesota.  The 
Winnesheik  pipe,  for  many  generations,  was  used  by  the 
head  chiefs  at  the  close  of  their  hostilities  with  other 
bands,  as  a  pipe  of  peace  or  treaty  contract.  A  few 
years  ago,  Hon.  A.  T.  Sharp,  then  Mayor  of  Wabasha, 
by  legal  skill  and  many  months  of  untiring  labor,  suc- 
ceeded in  saving  to  Winnesheik  and  his  band  a  large 
and  valuable  tract  of  land,  which  had  been  "jumped  " 
by  speculative  sharpers.  In  gratitude  for  that  service, 
Winnesheik  called  upon  Mayor  Sharp  one  morning  and 


"You  serve  poor  Indian  and  refuse  gold!  Indian 
heart  big !  warm !  grateful !  Indian  give  as  pledge  of 
endless  love  what  money  no  buy.  Take  this  pipe,  hund- 
red years  in  my  family,  and  remember  Winnesheik !" 

Major  Sharp  subsequently  presented  the  pipe  to  Pro- 
fessor Dodge.  But,  aside  from  the  innumerable  curiosi- 
ties in  Alpine  Cottage,  it  is  a  peaceful  sanctuary  of 
domestic  bliss,  made  bright  and  happy  by  the  perpetual 
smiles  of  a  beautiful  and  loving  wife. 

Dodge  dined  with  me  the  day  after  I  accepted  the 
17* 


394  EXHUMING   A   SKELETON! 

Overseer's  invitation.  We  fared  sumptuously  at  the 
International  Hotel,  and  then  drove  down  to  look  at 
the  workmen  on  the  line  of  the  new  railway. 

Just  before  our  arrival  at  the  scene  of  operation,  there 
had  been  quite  an  excitement  among  the  men  in  conse- 
quence of  discovering  some  portions  of  a  human  skele- 
ton, which  they  unavoidably  exhumed  while  delving  at 
a  point  near  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River.  They 
were  then  in  the  act  of  replacing  the  bones  in  the  earth, 
just  beyond  the  line,  as  we  alighted. 

"  What's  that  ?"  cried  Dodge,  at  the  sight  of  such  a 
crowd  around  one  spot. 

"  Ah,  an'  be  dad,  your  honor,  ets  the  decayed  re- 
manes  uv  a  bhloody  Injun  baste,  shure's  me  metherr's 
name  wus  Biddy  Mucklevarney !"  replied  a  Celtic  indi- 
vidual attached  to  the  very  short  stem  of  an  inexpen- 
sive but  unpleasantly  odoriferous  pipe. 

"That's  so!"  coincided  the  Overseer.  "No  doubt 
we  shall  find  lots  of 'em  between  here  and  Hastings. 
The  Injuns  did  nothing  but  fight  and  kill  one  another 
hereabouts,  for  I  don't  know  how  many  hundred  thou- 
sand years  'fore  us  white  folks  made  'em  stop  !" 

"Put  that  down!"  Dodge  murmured  in  my  ear. 
"  Item  one.  Fine  enough  for  a  large  book  anywhere  in 
Minnesota !" 

After  viewing  the  pieces  of  grim  and  frightful  anato- 
my, we  proceeded  to  inspect  the  locality  where  they  had 
been  found.  And  there  I  trod  upon  a  curiously  shaped 
object  and  stooped  to  pick  it  up.  Upon  close  examina- 
tion, it  proved  to  be  a  formidably  large  knife.  With 
considerable  hammering  we  removed  the  adhesive  rust, 
and  saw  an  unintelligible  inscription.  Then  I  looked  at 
Dodge  for  some  suggestion. 

"  Here's  another !"  said  the  Overseer,  handing  us  what 


SCENE  IN  "ALPINE  COITAG'E!"  395 

proved  to  be  a  very  much  neglected  double-barreled  pis- 
tol. I  thought  it  was  sadly  out  of  repair.  And,  en- 
graved upon  the  upper  stock-plate  of  that,  we  saw 
another  alphabetical  signum.  And  then  Dodge  looked 
at  me  for  my  opinion.  But  I  had  arrived  at  no  conclu- 
sion. 

Dodge  and  I  continued  to  exchange  glances,  until  at 
length  he  said,  "  If  you  don't  keep  them  I  shall !" 

Thereupon  I  expressed  much  gratitude  for  his  sug- 
gestion, and  threw  the  old  weapons  into  the  bottom  of 
the  buggy,  saying,  "We'll  take  them  home  and  de- 
cipher those  inscriptions !" 

"  I  comprehend  !"  shrugged  Dodge.  "  You  want  to 
find  the  plot  for  another  one  of  those  marvelous  stories 
which  you  are  addicted  to  writing." 

I  smiled  as  ghastly  as  usual.  We  then  lighted  fresh 
cigars ;  during  the  process  of  which  I  mumbled,  "  You're 
very  clever  at  surmising." 

"  Just  so !  I  'tended  guessing  school  once — half  a 
day,"  was  his  quick  retort. 

Hastening  to  Alpine  Cottage,  Dodge  and  I  imme- 
diately began  to  scour  the  old  pistol  and  the  rusty 
knife. 

Dodge's  curiosity  equaled  mine ;  and  we  went  to  work 
unfastidiously,  in  true  scullion  style.  Indeed,  he  was 
much  delighted  with  the  promise  of  a  solution  to  some- 
thing perhaps  worth  knowing. 

"  What  are  you  at  ?"  cried  the  sweet  voice  of  Mrs. 
Dodge,  who  came  into  the  kitchen  rolling  her  pretty 
optics  with  inquisitive  surprise. 

"  That's  a  mystery  to  be  got  at  by  soap  and  sand !" 
said  Dodge  in  grave  response,  and  at  the  same  time 
casting  a  side  wink  for  me  to  see. 

"  More  of  those  horrible  Indian  traps,  I'll  be  bound  !" 


396  THE  "LOST  KEY"  FOUND! 

continued  Mrs.  Dodge  with  a  "  Humph !" — from  which 
I  inferred  that  she  did  not  cherish  a  very  exalted  opin- 
ion of  the  aboriginal  race,  "  If  you  intend  greatly  in- 
creasing the  number  of  such  horrible  objects,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  erect  a  building  expressly  to  hold  them. 
The  house  is  now  entirely  filled  with  curiosities.  Per- 
haps you  and  the  Colonel  had  better  establish  a  hypo- 
dramatic  museum  in  St.  Paul.*  He  might  introduce 
the  performing  dogs  and  horses,  and  other  living  ani- 
mals, while  you  exhibit  the  inanimate  wonders  of  the 
world,  extemporize  poetry,  and  make  funny  speeches !" 

"  Bravo !  And  'twould  pay,  too !"  cried  Dodge. 
"  You  see,  Fannie,  dear " 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence.  My  scouring  at  the 
old  knife  was  successful;  and  I  abruptly  broke  in, 
"  Look  here ;  I  have  it  now !  The  first  letter  is  T.  The 
next  A.  Then  s,  and,  and " 

"And  HAE !"  Dodge  articulated  for  me. 

"Why,  it  spells  Tashaef"  I  cried.  "That  was  the 
name  of  a  fur  trader  who  lived  at  Selkirk  Colony, 
twenty-five  years  ago !" 

"  And  here's  the  other  name !"  exclaimed  Dodge. 
"  P-a-r-r-a-n-t — '  PIG'S  EYE  !'  sure  as  you  live !" 

And  there  it  was,  engraved  in  plain  English  upon  the 
upper  stock-plate  of  the  old  pistol. 

"You're  a  lucky  fellow!"  Dodge  remarked  to  me 
the  next  day.  "  Mr.  Williams,  Secretary  of  the" Histori- 
cal Society,  would  have  given  anything  for  Parrant's 
old  pistol." 

"  Can't  help  that !"  was  my  reply.  "  After  I  came 
here  all  the  way  from  Xew  York,  for  the  avowed  pur- 
pose of  compiling  and  writing  up  an  illustrated  history 
of  St.  Paul,  he  announced  in  the  editorial  columns  of 
*  Since  then,  Dodge  has  taken  a  lease  of  "  IXGERSOLL  HALL." 


A   GAME    OF   "  BLUFF  !"  397 

the  '  Pioneer '  that  he  intended  to  do  the  same  thing. 
And  then  another  gentleman  made  a  similar  announce- 
ment in  the  '  Daily  Press.'  Mr.  McClung  published 
a  like  intention.  And,  as  if  to  frighten  me  off  entirely, 
a  country  editor  added  his  name  to  the  list  of  my  rivals. 
Thus  at  leas-t  four  members  of  the  Minnesota  press,  each 
of  them  infinitely  better  posted  than  I  am,  and  much 
more  competent  in  every  other  respect,  have  opened 
their  'masked  batteries'  upon  me,  while  I  have  not 
even  a  squib-cartridge  to  pop  or  '  fizzle '  in  return." 

I  paused  at  this  period  for  Dodge  to  reply.  But  he 
continued  to  smoke  his  cigar  without  any  sign  of  speech, 
and  so  I  went  on  to  say,  "Five  Histories  of  St.  Paul  at 
the  same  time,  will  be  rather  too  many ;  and,  therefore, 
I  shall  unvalorously,  but  expediently,  retire !" 

Then  Dodge  took  a  long  pull  at  his  cigar,  and  hur- 
riedly blew  out  a  mouthful  of  smoke  to  say,  "  Go  ahead 
and  write  your  book,  old  boy.  I'll  bet  on  you !" 

I  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of  his  kindly-intended 
response,  and  suggested  that  he  should  have  a  fresh 
cigar.  He  approved  of  the  suggestion,  and  I  resumed : 

"  Mr.  Williams  can  send  down  and  get  what  is  left  of 
old  Parrant's  bones.  They'll  do  to  place  in  the  rooms 
of  the  Historical  Society,  beside  the  skeleton  of  Tah-o- 
ah-ta-doo-ta,  alias  'Little  Crow,'  for  the  inspection  of 
inquisitive  people.  But,  with  your  permission,  I  shall 
retain  the  pistol  and  the  knife,  and  leave  to  him  and  his 
equally  ambitious  contemporaries,  the  coveted  and  re- 
munerative task  of  doing  up  St.  Paul,  separately  or  con- 
jointly, in  as  many  histories  as  they  please.  Meanwhile, 
I  can  retire  to  the  peaceful  quietude  of  that  obscure 
little  village  sportively  called  Gotham,  but  anciently 
known  as  New  Amsterdam,  and  more  recently  sobri- 


398  "  GOD   BLESS    HIM  !" 

queted  New  York.  And  as  a  denizen  of  that  remote 
hamlet,  I  might  boastingly  say  that  it  has  some  promi- 
nence in  connection  with  the  current  events  of  the  day 
because  of  its  contiguity  to  the  more  noted  localities  of 
Hoboken,  Coney  Island,  Tilletudlum  and  Tubby  Hook. 
There,  in  undisturbed  seclusion,  I  will  write — aye,  write 
a  book!  Nor  shall  the  ' subject  matter '  thereof ' even 
ever '  so  slightly  interfere  with  the  grand  project  which 
the  aforesaid  gentlemen  'collectively'  have  in  view. 
And  such  a  book !"  I  jocosely  emphasized,  for  the 
amusement  of  Dodge.  "  Such  a  book  it  shall  be.  And 
the  name " 

"What?"  interrupted  Dodge,  suddenly  roused  to  a 
demonstrative  pitch  of  inquiry.  "What  will  be  the 
name  of  your  book  ?" 

"Dakota  Land!"  I  spouted,  in  mock  theatrical  dis- 
play. 

"Good!  The  best  idea  you  ever  had  in  all  your 
life !"  Dodge  exclaimed  in  a  similar  melodramatic 
style.  "  And  '  if  'twere  done  when  'tis  done,  then  'twere 
well  'twere  done  quickly !'  And,  what's  more,  I'll  help 
you  if  I  can !" 

A  few  days  after  that  conversation,  I  left  St.  Paul. 
And  since  then,  Dodge  has  proven,  in  more  ways  than 
one,  that  he  is  not  only  a  true  friend  to  me,  but  also 
the  friend  of  every  honest  man  !  His  frequent  encour- 
agement by  letter  has  inspired  me  in  the  task  and  con- 
siderably lightened  the  tedium  of  my  toil.  May  God 
bless  him  and  all  that  he  loves  in  this  life,  and  not  for- 
get him  when  he  dies ! 

But  neither  he  nor  I  can  tell  how  old  Parrant's  body 
came  to  be  buried  in  that  lonely  spot,  through  which 
the  track  of  the  St.  Paul  and  Chicago  Railway  now 
runs.  And  if  Mr.  Williams,  or  "  any  other  man  "  should 


GHOST    OF    OL1)    P ARRANT.  399 

meet  with  better  success  than  we  have  in  elucidating 
the  problematic  fate  of  "  Old  Pig's  Eye,"  I  trust  that  the 
public  will  be  duly  informed  of  the  singular  facts. 

The  "  ghost  story "  which  I  have  heard  in  connection 
with  the  old  whisky-shanty  will  not  be  doubted  by 
credulous  people  who  believe  in  spiritualism.  For  my 
part,  I  am  unable  to  arrive  at  any  satisfactory  conclu- 
sion in  reference  to  what  they  say.  Those  who  knew 
him  intimately  before  he  went  away,  still  persist  in  say- 
ing that  a  strange  light  frequently  glimmered  in  the 
room  where  he  slept  the  last  time  in  St.  Paul.  And 
my  informant  assures  me  that  he  can  remember  hearing 
old  Parrant's  voice  late  one  night  several  months  after 
he  disappeared.  He  thought  it  sounded  as  if  the  old 
miser  was  then  in  a  violent  encounter  with  some  person. 
"  Let  me  have  it,  or  you  die !"  was  uttered  perfectly 
plain.  At  least,  so  my  informant  declares.  He  was 
casually  passing  by  the  shanty  at  the  time,  and  also 
observed  a  dim  light  through  the  small  window.  But 
when  he  approached  to  learn  the  cause,  the  voice  was 
silent,  and  the  light  vanished  with  a  fitful  flicker,  like 
that  of  a  tallow  candle  burning  the  last  particle  of 
grease  at  the  end  of  the  wick.  Another  time  he  saw  a 
light  at  the  window  when  there  was  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  no  living  being  could  be  in  the  shanty. 
Again  he  approached,  more  cautiously  than  before,  in 
hope  of  solving  the  mystery.  But,  just  as  he  came  near 
enough  to  see  through  the  window,  one  or  two  feeble 
flashes  extinguished  the  last  glimmer,  and  left  him  in  a 
frightened  state  of  feeling  for  several  days  afterward. 

Perhaps  when  the  gentleman  here  alluded  to  learns 
what  I  have  disclosed  in  this  volume,  he  will  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  old  Parrant's  spirit  did  actually 
return  to  the  shanty  every  night  in  quest  of  some  treas- 


400  '*  KASKADIXO       STILL   ALIVE. 

ure  concealed  there.  Most  likely  this  will  be  his  theory, 
inasmuch  as  he  has  always  differed  from  a  general  belief 
that  the  ill-fated  Avretch  was  extremely  poor.  He  has 
contended  from  the  first  that  Parrant  was  rich;  but, 
being  miserly  in  the  extreme,  carefully  buried  every 
piece  of  gold  that  came  into  his  grasp.  Therefore,  if  he 
became  the  victim  of  an  assassin,  it  is  probable  that  his 
buried  treasures  will  never  be  obtained. 

The  knife  found  with  Parrant's  skeleton  was  undoubt- 
edly the  same  that  Kaskadino  stole  from  Tashae — and 
which  he  unintentionally  dropped  in  the  sandstone 
gorge  of  the  bluff  near  the  square  rock  below  Mendota, 
where  he  had  such  a  desperate  struggle  to  rob  the  old 
whisky-seller  of  the  gold  intended  for  Florinda,  as  had 
been  agreed  upon  that  day  at  the  shanty  in  St.  Paul — 
now  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 

An  individual  supposed  to  be  Kaskadino  was  among 
the  savages  who  escaped  justice  after  participating  in 
the  massacre  of  '62.  But  the  laws  of  mortality  will 
shortly  bring  him  to  a  final  account.  He  is  getting  old, 
and  must  soon  yield  up  his  life.  From  the  perpetration 
of  that  remorseless  crime,  instigated  by  Florinda,  which 
sent  Leonore's  mother  to  a  grave  near  the  waters  of  the 
Red  River,  he  went  on  with  bad  deeds,  until  eventually- 
deserting  his  numerous  family  by  flight,  to  join  a  ma- 
rauding band  of  outlaw  Indians,  who  were  the  crudest 
demons  engaged  in  that  work  of  death  and  plunder  at- 
tributed to  the  Sioux. 

Tashae  has  already  gone  to  settle  his  account.  Since 
writing  those  allusions  to  his  liaison  with  Florinda,  his 
unsuccessful  design  upon  Leonore  and  her  mother,  and 
his  subsequent  discomfiture  at  Mendota,  I  have  discov- 
ered the  existence  of  a  very  estimable  gentleman  of  the 
same  name,  who  is  now  living  in  the  settlement  at  Red 


A    COMMODORE    MILLIONAIRE.  401 

River ;  and  in  justice  to  the  latter,  I  shall  here  state 
that  there  was  no  relationship  between  them. 

But  I  am  obliged  to  leave  future  historians  the  task 
of  unraveling  the  mysterious  connection  previously  ex- 
isting between  Parrant  and  the  incomprehensible  Flo- 
rinda,  who  subsequently  committed  suicide  in  the  Le- 
vasseur  mansion,  before  its  destruction  by  fire. 

And  I  will  merely  suggest,  in  consideration  of  the 
everlasting  benefit  which  he  conferred  upon  future  gen- 
erations, that  the  skeleton  of  "  Old  Pig's  Eye "  should 
be  carefully  preserved  as  a  companion  to  the  anatomical 
deformity  representing  "  His  Scarlet  People  !" 

Verily,  everything  about  St.  Paul  is  marvelous  to  see  or 
hear.  And  tourists  voyaging  thither  on  board  the  white 
collar  steamers  of  the  "  Xorth-westeru  Union  Packet 
Company,"  are  here  informed  that  much  of  their  enjoy- 
ment has  been  provided  for  by  the  enterprising  liberality 
of  Commodore  Davidson,  the  monarch  of  that  immense 
concern.  His  magnificent  residence  is  situated  upon 
Dayton's  Bluff,  the  gigantic  hill  which  seems  to  be  tow- 
ering immediately  above  the  steamers  as  they  make 
their  final  turn  just  before  arriving  at  the  levee  of  the 
bright  new  city.  And  in  the  once  sacred  Cavern  of 
Wakan-tebee,  all  wrapt  in  funereal,  silence,  those  myste- 
rious relics  of  the  ancient  dead  are  yet  lying,  far  down 
beneath  the  cozy  chamber  where  the  Commodore  now 
sleeps  at  night.  And  he  is  a  "whole  soul"  man,  whose 
popularity  has  won  for  him  an  enviable  reputation, 
while  recording  his  name  among  the  millionaires  of 
Minnesota.  His  private  office,  banking-house,  and  the 
executive  offices  of  the  "  Company,"  entirely  fill  that 
elegant  new  block  which  stands  directly  Opposite  the 
Merchants'  Hotel,  and  adjoining  the  extensive  "  Livery 
Establishment"  of  Messrs.  Cook  &  Webb. 


THE   ASHES    OF   SNAKES    AND    BEARS. 


403 


One  more  paragraph,  and  then  this  chapter  will  be 
done.  To  avoid  the  inconvenience  of  answering  antici- 
pated applications  for  photograph  pictures  of  Tashae's 
old  knife  or  Parrant's  old  pistol,  I  will  state  that  I  de- 
posited them  in  Barnum's  Museum,  on  my  return  to 
New  York.  They  were  hung  up  near  the  collection  of 
Indian  Portraits,  just  at  the  top  of  the  first  flight  of 
stairs — as  I  then  thought,  all  nice  and  secure.  But 
alas !  a  fire  broke  out  during  the  coldest  night  in  win- 
ter, at  that  unseasonable  hour  when  editors  and  authors 
are  generally  supposed  to  be  in  bed  and  asleep.  I  rode 
down  Broadway  about  noon  the  next  day ;  and  where 
the  Museum  so  gaily  stood  the  evening  before,  I  then 
saw  only  a  magnificent  spectacle  of  ruin,  all  enveloped 
in  strange  and  fantastic  forms  of  ice.  So  I  am  sorry 
to  say  that  those  singular  relics  are  now  unavoidably 
mixed  up  with  the  ashes  of  snakes  and  bears ! 


Happy  Tourists  Homeward  Bound. 


CHAPTEE    XXVII. 


NOTWITHSTANDING  the  appar- 
ently indifferent  and  contemptu- 
ous feeling  of  Madame  Zorah  at 
the  time  of  her  abrupt  departure 
from  the  house  of  Levasseur,  it 
was  but  a  turbulent  prelude  to 
bitter  regrets.  For  the  Major 
had  scarcely  quit  Paris  when  she 
began  to  realize  the  deplorable 
consequences  of  her  folly.  In 
the  perpetual  whirl  of  excite- 
ment, intensified  by  novel  ex- 
travagances and  costly  pleasures,  she  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  the  existence  of  any  possible  uncertainty  that 
might  sustain  the  then  exalted  position  of  herself  and 
Leonore.  When  they  both  indignantly  flouted  from  the 
presence  of  the  then  irate  man,  and  defiantly  scorned  his 
support  and  protection,  neither  of  them  seriously  esti- 
mated the  enormity  of  their  individual  losses.  The 
demonstrative  episode  was  not  merely  one  of  those  peri- 
odical freaks  of  passionate  ebulliency  which  immoderate- 
ly idolized  beauties  are  specially  privileged  to  by  their 


406  THE  GRANDMOTHER'S  REPENTANCE! 

doting  and  indulgent  lords,  and  therefore  necessarily 
susceptible  of  that  delicious  reconciliation  generally 
associated  with  the  terminal  crisis  of  a  lover's  quarrel 
or  a  family  jar.  It  was  too  serious  for  that.  Madame's 
untimely  impertinence  widened  the  trifling  breach  to 
the  impassable  width  of  a  boundless  chasm,  and  thus 
destroyed  all  opportunity  for  connubial  restoration  by 
the  personal  exercise  of  an  entente  cordiale  between  them. 

A  novelist  has  the  power  of  creating  characters  at 
will,  and  placing  them  in  any  conceivable  position  that 
his  fancy  may  choose ;  and  if  I  were  now  writing  a  ro- 
mance, instead  of  narrating  a  series  of  biographical 
events,  the  relative  circumstances  of  Major  Levasseur 
and  Leonore  should  be  vastly  different  from  what  the 
reader  finds  them  here.  And  the  devoted  grandma 
would  accordingly  occupy  a  less  prominent  position  in 
the  story.  But  then,  if  all  these  seemingly  preposterous 
realities  were  omitted,  I  would  not  have  any  remarkable 
developments  to  make.  So,  with  a  strict  adherence  to 
the  most  extraordinary  facts,  I  shall  proceed  to  state 
that  when  Leonore  abandoned  Levasseur  at  Madame's 
command,  she  was  unconsciously  opening  the  first  scene 
in  the  last  act  of  the  petit  drama  of  her  own  life,  which 
destiny  seemed  to  have  marked  for  a  double  tragedy  in 
the  end ! 

It  was  quite  natural  that  Madame  should  rave,  and 
that  Leonore  should  go  wild  with  grief,  when  they  dis- 
covered how  the  forsaken  father  had  taken  Irene  from 
the  convent.  And  why  not  take  her  with  him  ?  He 
innocently  and  sincerely  believed  them  when  they  told 
him  that  she  was  Lady  Levasseur's  child.  And  thus  at 
length  they  perceived  the  fatal  consequence  of  that 
long-fostered  lie ! 

Tears  will  destroy  facial  beauty  in  a  very  short  time ; 


THE  GRANDDAUGHTER'S  GUIEF!  407 

and  Leonore's  great,  lustrous,  black  eyes  were  trans- 
formed into  optical  frights.  Madame  said  that  would 
never  do.  She  could  not  be  seen  in  such  a  plight  by 
the  gallant  nobleman  who  admired  her  so. 

"  Let  the  nobleman  go,  in  welcome !"  she  wept  and 
stormed.  "I  want  Irene!  Oh,  it's  all  your  fault, 
grandma !  He  has  left  us  forever ;  and  even  Irene  will 
never  love  me  any  more  !  You  have  made  me  incur  his 
hate  !  Oh  dear,  there  is  no  one  to  love  me  now  !  But, 
grandma,  I  say  you  must  and  you  shall  bring  Irene 
back !  And  I  can  not  live  with  the  thought  that,  per- 
haps, he  has  returned  to  the  arms  of  his  beautiful  wife ! 
Oh,  I'm  sure  she  will  forgive  him ;  for  he  is  so  hand- 
some, so  noble,  so  good,  and  so  loving  and  kind ! 
Grandma,  I  must  get  back  the  treasures  of  my  heart 
or  die !" 

A  speedy  repentance,  a  frantic  struggle,  and  then 
the  dreary  curtain  would  fall  in  mental  darkness  brought 
on  by  despair ! 

And  so  they  followed  Levasseur  across  the  sea. 
Madame  knew  that  he  was  a  client  of  the  great  law 
firm  of  Crane  &  Burr ;  and,  upon  their  arrival  in  New 
York,  she  inquired  at  the  office  in  Wall  street  to  find 
out  where  he  was.  Unluckily,  they  had  just  been  noti- 
fied of  his  supposed  death  in  Tennessee,  and  without 
any  hesitation  told  her  all  they  knew.  She  asked  only 
one  more  question,  and  then  hurried  back  to  Leonore, 
carrying  the  fatal  news. 

"Well,  well,"  impatiently  cried  Leonore.  "You 
found  him ;  and  we  shall  meet  again  very  soon  !  Why 
don't  you  speak  ?" 

Madame  related  what  she  had  heard,  and  Leonore 
fairly  shrieked,  "  No,  no  !  Not  dead !  That  can  not 
be!" 


408  PURSUIT    OF   THE    FOKSAKEX    HUSBAND! 

But  Madame  bowed  her  head  and  murmured,  "  Alas, 
they  say  it  is  true  !" 

"I  will  not  believe  it,"  persisted  Leonore.  "They 
told  you  what  they  knew  was  false,  to  prevent  our 
meeting  !  Yes,  yes ;  I  see  what  they  want  to  do  !  A 
ruse  to  deceive  me.  Ah,  they'll  fail  in  that.  But 
Irene !  Where  is  she  ?" 

"  Gone !  They  say  she  can  not  be  found !"  sighed 
Madame. 

"  It's  all  a  lie !"  screamed  Leonore.  "  I  will  go  and 
see  them  myself!  They  dare  not  tell  me  so.  Come, 
quick !"  And  she  seized  Madame  violently  by  the  arm, 
ejaculating,  "  Now !  Now !" 

Madame  could  not  appease  her  short  of  immediate 
compliance  with  that  sudden  resolve  to  go.  And  as 
they  went  forth,  Leonore  half  deliriously  reiterated,  "  Be 
quick !  Come,  hurry !  Oh,  why  don't  you  run  ?" 

They  reached  the  law  office,  and  were  shown  into  a 
private  room.  The  great  Mr.  Crane  received  them 
with  some  condescension  for  a  man  like  him ;  and  he 
certainly  had  a  particular  motive  when  he  was  so  re- 
spectful to  the  former  mistress  of  his  wealthy  client, 
whom  he  supposed  to  be  dead.  Perhaps  there  would 
be  additional  litigation,  and  that  was  whereof  he  rapidly 
accumulated  abundant  riches.  Yet,  despite  Leonore's 
impatience,  he  leisurely  replied  to  her  questions ;  and 
when  he  felt  his  dignity  touched  by  her  doubting  insin- 
uations, he  imperiously  said: 

"  If  you  desire  anything  more  than  the  truth,  apply 
to  some  other  counsel.  We  never  prevaricate  here.  I 
repeat  that  Major  Levasseur  is  dead,  and  his  daughter 
has  not  been  found !" 

To  that  Leonore  mildly  replied,  "Husband  dead! 
Irene  gone!"  For  a  moment  she  seemed  to  reflect; 


THE    BEAUTIFUL    MANIAC  !  409 

and  then,  as  if  gradually  realizing  the  solution  of  a  dif- 
ficult problem,  her  eyes  expanded  to  their  utmost  capa- 
city, while  every  muscle  in  her  face  harmonized  with 
the  startling  expression.  Drawing  a  heavy  breath,  she 
uttered  a  slight  shriek,  and  smiled  with  a  vacant  stare. 
The  next  moment  Mr.  Crane  bounded  from  his  chair, 
while  he  and  Madame  were  both  appalled  to  hear  her 
neighing  a  maniac's  wild  laugh. 

Leonore  was  insane ! 

Mr.  Crane  sent  for  a  carriage  to  take  her  home ;  and 
all  that  day,  and  for  many  days  to  come,  the  fair  lunatic 
continually  wandered  about  her  chamber  as  if  seeking 
some  one.  Occasionally,  she  would  burst  into  hysterical 
paroxysms  of  insensate  laughter;  but  she  was  much 
oftener  heard  mournfully  articulating : 

"  Irene  !  Husband  !  My  child — not  hers  !  He  is 
dead !  And  she  killed  him,  because  he  loved  me  so  ! 
Now  they  are  both  gone  !  Irene  was  to  be  the  heiress ; 
and  they  have  lost  her  somewhere  in  the  great  world  ! 
Lost!  Dead!  Oh,  this  choking  at  my  heart  and  this 
pain  in  my  head !  I  feel  it  here,  and  here  !  The  day  is 
very  tiresome  and  long.  Will  the  night  come  soon  ? 
Ah,  grandma  made  me  do  it  all !" 

The  beautiful  maniac  could  moan,  and  talk,  and 
laugh;  but  she  would  never  shed  another  tear! 

Madame  visited  the  great  law  office  again  to  inquire  if 
they  had  any  tidings  of  Irene ;  and  then  they  told  her  that 
Levasseur  was  not  dead !  They  said  he  was  still  living, 
and  had  taken  Irene  with  him  to  the  City  of  St.  Paul. 
And,  without  learning  what  he  had  gone  there  for,  she 
gladly  hastened  back  to  tell  Leonore  the  joyful  news  ! 
But  alas,  reason  had  entirely  left  that  beautiful  form. 
She  could  not  understand.  Oh,  how  sad  it  was  to  see 
those  magnificent  eyes  all  swollen  and  staring  like 
18 


410  A    MISSPENT   LIFE. 

globes  of  glass !  Her  lips  were  blue,  and  a  strange 
pallor  o'erspread  her  cheeks.  Yet  her  heaving  bosom 
was  soft  and  warm,  and  her  heart  went  on  throbbing  as 
it  did  when  she  felt  happy  with  conscious  love.  But 
now  it  was  utterly  devoid  of  any  manifestation  to  indi- 
cate the  slightest  emotion  of  a  soul !  Pity  it  was  that 
Levasseur  could  not  look  upon  her  then,  and  contem- 
plate the  speedy  transition  of  loveliness  to  that  inevita- 
ble doom  of  even  the  fairest  of  the  fair. 

In  vain  did  Madame  Iry  to  make  Leonore  compre- 
hend the  joyful  news.  She  uttered  endearing  words 
and  lavished  caresses;  but  the  only  uttered  responses 
she  could  get  were  like  live  coals  of  fire  heaped  upon 
her  own  head. 

"  Yes,  lost !"  laughed  Leonore,  as  though  with  joy. 
"  Away  in  the  boundless  wrorld  !  My  child — not  hers  ! 
She  would  have  been  his  heiress,  too.  Dead !  And  I 
loved  him  so  much !"  Then  she  would  look  sad,  and  con- 
tinue, "  They  are  all  gone  now !  But  grandma  made 
me  drive  them  away!  Oh,  my  head!  And  there  is 
such  a  weight  on  my  heart !" 

Madame  was  an  old  woman.  She  would  soon  be 
threescore  and  ten !  Her  faculties  were  failing  fast, 
and  the  terrible  results  of  a  misspent  life  began  to  palsy 
her  senses,  too.  One  moment  she  thought  of  appealing 
to  the  law,  and  the  next  she  resolved  to  personally  sec 
Levasseur,  and  either  coerce  his  return,  or  upon  her 
knees  beg  and  implore  him  to  take  pity  on  Leonore. 
She  would  confess  her  crime  in  substituting  Leonore's 
child  for  that  of  Lady  Levasseur's,  and  go  and  seek  the 
true  heiress.  And  then  she  recoiled  from  all  those  prop- 
ositions. She  was  undecided  what  to  do,  and  really 
powerless  for  any  decisive  action. 

At  that  juncture  Lcvasseur  returned  to  New  York. 


THE    SELF-AVILLED   MAN.  411 

The  letter  of  Messrs.  Crane  &  Burr,  which  he  received 
previous  to  his  departure  from  St.  Paul,  announcing  the 
arrival  of  Madame  and  Leonore  for  the  avowed  purpose 
of  settling  certain  matters  in  the  courts  of  law,  would 
have  caused  most  any  other  man  in  a  similar  strait  to 
prudently  avoid  the  needless  risk  of  an  unpleasant 
collision  between  the  parties  interested.  And  the  safest 
guarantee  for  avoiding  that  risk  would  seem  to  be  in 

O  O 

their  wide  distance  apart.  But  Levasseur  never  did 
anything  like  other  men.  He  had  his  own  way,  and  in 
all  cases  predicated  by  personally  selfish  decisions.  It 
would  be  no  injustice  to  say  that  the  Major  was  a  de- 
terminedly self-willed  man.  An  individual  possessing 
that  predominant  trait  of  character  is  more  than  likely 
to  incur  no  little  unhappiness  for  himself  while  creating 
an  abundance  of  trouble,  if  not  downright  misery,  for 
those  who  become  associated  with  him  in  any  position 
of  life.  And  the  past,  present  and  future  events  con- 
nected with  Levasseur's  existence  would  ultimately 
satisfy  even  him  that  there  is  "  a  right  and  a  wrong," 
which,  in  the  choosing,  leads  one  way  to  sunshine  and 
another  way  to  impenetrable  gloom. 

Having  already  started  when  the  letter  came  to  hand, 
he  resolved  to  continue  on.  And  it  was  quite  possible 
that  the  chances  of  a  collision  would  really  be  less  in 
the  great  city,  though  they  were  near  together,  than  by 
remaining  at  the  mercy  of  scandal-mongers,  whose 
thirst  might  not  be  quenched  with  an  ocean  full  of 
tears.  But,  anxious  to  remain  incognito  until  a  secluded 
abode  could  be  obtained,  he  took  the  precaution  of  re- 
cording an  assumed  name  at  the  hotel.  Yet  even  that 
did  not  avert  the  wrath  to  come. 

And  while  Madame  was  not  aware  of  his  presence,  he 
did  not  suspect  the  deplorable  condition  of  "Leonore. 


412  FLIGHT    OF   IKEXE. 

He  was  in  no  haste  to  meet  coming  events  by  a  visit  to 
the  office  of  his  attorneys,  where  intelligence  of  his  dis- 
carded proteges  awaited  him.  But  even  though  he  was 
tardy  in  that  particular  inquiry,  the  agglomeration  of 
variform  fatalities  rapidly  thickened  about  him  un- 
awares. 

Irene  acted  very  strangely,  and  he  could  not  help 
noticing  the  fact.  She  had  changed  greatly  since  her 
sojourn  in  Louisville,  during  his  adventure  in  Tennes- 
see; but  he  attributed  it  all  to  the  inharmonious  feel- 
ings pervading  his  newly  organized  family,  and  accord- 
ingly endeavored  to  decide  upon  some  plan  of  permanent 
reconciliation.  And  while  he  thus  exercised  his  mind 
in  her  behalf,  she  stepped  out  of  the  hotel  to  take  a 
walk,  leaving  a  letter  addressed  to  him,  in  which  she 
intimated  a  preference  for  sharing  life  with  some  one 
whom  she  loved ! 

He  never  was  more  astounded  than  when  reading  the 
contents  of  that  letter.  But  still  Lady  Levasseur  did 
not  seem  to  worry  herself  much  about  Irene's  choice. 
And  Fleurette  whispered,  "  Ma,  dear,  perhaps  it  is  very 
wicked  in  me  to  do  so,  but  I  can  not  help  wishing  that 
Irene  would  never  return !" 

"  Hush,  darling  !"  was  the  warning  reply.  "  Be  care- 
ful that  he  does  not  hear  what  you  say !" 

The  father  then  had  a  heavy  heart,  indeed!  He 
sought  Irene,  but  she  was  not  to  be  found.  With 
whom  and  whither  she  had  eloped  he  could  not  even 
conjecture,  much  less  ascertain.  And  the  apparent 
apathy  of  his  wife  was  so  painful  to  him  that  he  quite 
readily  accused  Fleurette,  in  his  own  mind,  of  steel- 
ing the  mother's  love  against  her  natural  child.  Thus 
he  permitted  an  ugly  feeling  of  jealousy  to  enter  his 
miifd. 


THE    WIFE'S    PROPHECY    FULFILLED.  413 

Yet  he  no  longer  loved  Leonore.  From  that  fatal 
moment,  when  she  turned  her  back  npon  him  in  Paris, 
he  had  been  shuddering  with  vivid  reminiscences  of  the 
past.  The  mad  spell  was  broken.  And  his  fond  wife, 
who  was  Availing  for  him,  said  that  he  would  return 
just  as  he  had  done.  She  also  said,  that  as  he  left  her 
at  night,  he  would  reappear  to  her  in  the  twilight  of 
evening.  How  fully  her  prophecies  were  verified  in  his 
final  restoration  to  her  arms.  She  said  that  her  spirit 
would  not  leave  him — and  that  the  old  love  must  tri- 
umph when  his  heart  grew  sad.  And  thus  all  her  pre- 
dictions had  come  to  pass ! 

But  if  Levasseur  really  did  not  wish  even  to  see 
Leonore  again,  what  would  be  the  final  consequence  of 
his  oath?  Had  he  entirely  ceased  to  remember  the 
nature  of  that  vow,  while  his  wife  was  listening  at  the 
door,  and  Leonore  unconsciously  lay  in  his  arms  ?  And 
what  did  Madame  say  to  him  when  he  swore  to  cherish 
Leonore  in  future  instead  of  Lady  Levasseur  ?  With 
his  hand  raised  and  his  arm  tightly  grasped  by  the  old 
woman,  he  articulated :  "  I  solemnly  swear  that  Leonore 
shall  be  my  only  love  to  the  end  of  life !"  Then  she 
responded :  "  Your  oath  is  recorded  in  the  Book  of 
Fate !  Violation  of  it  will  be  death !"  And  the  sacrifice 
was  then  before  his  eyes. 

But  atonement  and  repentance  were  not  both  one ! 
He  had  repented.  Atonement  would  follow  soon.  If 
the  words  of  his  wife  came  to  pass,  why  not  dread  those 
uttered  by  Madame  ?  Yes ;  he  would  realize  the  terri- 
ble end,  all  in  a  very  short  time.  Even  then  a  strange 
event  was  about  to  happen.  And  Fleurette  would  be 
instrumental  in  accomplishing  that.  She  saw  a  melan- 
choly item  in  a  morning  paper,  which  read  thus : 

"Among  the  bodies  now  lying  at  the  Moryue  for 


THE  "DEAD  HOUSE!"  415 

identification,  is  the  corpse  of  an  apparently  beautiful 
young  lady  that  was  discovered,  some  time  yesterday 
afternoon,  floating  in  a  dock  on  the  East  River." 

Fleurette  could  not  banish  that  sad  announcement 
from  her  mind ;  and  the  answers  she  received  in  reply 
to  numerous  questions  only  increased  her  desire  to 
know  more.  And,  at  the  solicitation  of  Lady  Levasseur, 
the  Major  half  reluctantly  ordered  a  carriage  to  visit 
the  Morgue.  She  naturally  shrank  from  such  associa- 
tions ;  but  in  that  instance  some  irresistible  inspiration 
seemed  to  be  urging  her  on. 

The  porter  at  the  Morgue  informed  them  that  the 
corpse  of  the  beautiful  young  lady  had  been  identified 
and  taken  away.  But  whither?  Fleurette  must  see 
that  one  in  particular.  She  did  not  so  much  as  pause 
to  view  the  other  bodies  lying  there. 

The  porter  wrote  the  street  and  number  upon  a  blank 
card,  and  evidently  wanted  to  be  paid  for  the  favor. 
Lady  Levasseur  placed  a  dollar  bill  in  his  hand,  and 
then  he  took  off  his  hat  to  bow  and  blarney :  "  Thanks ! 
You  are  a  lady,  I'm  sure  !" 

"  This  is  the  place !"  said  the  coachman,  opening  the 
door  of  the  vehicle  for  them  to  alight.  "  A  boarding- 
house.  Mrs.  Cline  keeps  it.  Her  name's  on  the  door!" 

They  rang  the  bell,  and  were  admitted. 

"  Front  room,  up  first  flight  of  stairs !"  grunted  the 
servant  girl  who  received  them.  She  did  nothing  more. 
Quite  the  style  of  reception  in  many  boarding-houses 
where  the  scale  of  prices  would  certainly  warrant  some 
respect  from  the  mistresses,  and  a  little  more  attention, 
if  not  civility,  on  the  part  of  the  Celtic  females  who 
superintend  the  domestic  performances  necessarily  re- 
quired. But  as  the  front  room  door  was  slightly  ajar, 
it  did  not  seem  necessary  to  knock. 


416  FATE    OF    LEONOKE. 

The  Major  softly  peeped  in,  and  then  started  hack  all 
pale,  and  gasping  "  Leonore  !" 

Lady  Levasseur  shrank  from  the  door  with  the  in- 
tention of  quitting  the  house ;  for  she  remembered  that 
name,  alas,  too  well ! 

The  corpse  lay  with  its  face  uncovered ;  and  those 
who  had  ever  seen  Leonore  alive,  would  recognize  her 
in  death. 

"  You  must  not  leave !"  said  the  Major,  in  a  hoarse 
whisper,  as  he  tightened  his  lingers  around  his  wife's 
arm.  "  She  is  dead !  Do  not  permit  your  feelings  to 
overcome  you  now.  Heaven — " 

"  Who  comes  here  to  talk  of  Heaven  ?"  wailed  Madame 
Zorah,  lifting  her  head  off  the  bosom  of  the  corpse,  where 
she  had  been  crouching  in  tearless  grief.  "Hah!  Major 
Levasseur !  Then  you  are  here  to  exult  in  mockery 
over  the  destruction  of  my  child !  But  you  come  too 
late ;  for  the  poison  is  here  !"  and  she  pressed  her  finger 
against  her  throat ! 

"  Peace,  woman !  The  occasion  is  xinsuitable  for  re- 
crimination or  random  talk,  by  you  or  me !" 

Then,  perceiving  Fleurette,  she  naturally  mistook  her 
for  Irene,  and  exclaimed :  "  So,  so  !  And  you've  brought 
her  back  with  you  to  look  at  her  mother  now !" 

"  I  am  not  Irene,"  promptly  answered  Fleurette. 
"  She  has  fled !" 

A  shadow  crossed  the  Major's  brow ;  and  Madame 
started  up  as  if  to  inquire  for  explanation,  when  a  severe 
spasm  pulled  her  down.  But  she  muttered  in  half- 
strangling  accents,  "  No  m — mat — er !  It  w — will  all 
be — be  over  very  soon  !  That  stuff  is  wor — king  home  ! 
There,  upon — the — the  table !" 

She  pointed  while  writhing  in  pain ;  and  they  beheld 
an  empty  vial  that  told  too  plainly  what  she  meant. 


THE  GRANDMOTHER'S  CONFESSION.  417 

And  with  a  violent  effort  she  rose  and  staggered  for- 
Avard  upon  a  chair. 

Rousing  herself,  she  endeavored  to  say  something  else ; 
and  began  with,  "  Lady — lady !"  and  pointing  at  Leo- 
uore's  corpse,  "  I  ch — changed  her  babe — babe  for — for 
yours  /"  And  there  she  failed  again. 

"  Oh,  what  is  she  saying  ?"  cried  Fleurette.  "  Do 
listen,  ma,  and  try  to  understand !" 

Then  Madame  hysterically  resumed  by  saying,  "I 
took — tock  your  child — child  to  the  orphan — phan  asy- 
lum— and  forgot  to  remove — move — move !" 

"  What — what  ?"  frantically  implored  Fleurette. 
"  What  did  you  forget  to  remove  ?" 

"  That  neck — lace — of  Job's — tear  beads !  Engraved 
upon — pon  the  locket,  was  the  name — of  my — my  own 
child  !  Leonore's  mother !  Ah !  I  am  dying  !  Hold 
me !  Air !  Oh,  I  want  air !  I  am  blind !  Let  me 
breathe !" 

"  The  name  upon  the  locket  ?"  they  cried  all  together, 
as  the  miserable  old  Avoman  fell  back  into  the  Major's 
arms.  "  The  name  ?  The  name  ?" 

"Fleu — Fleurette!''''  came  in  a  scarcely  articulated 
groan.  And  then  almost  immediately  a  sudden  and  vio- 
lent spasm  raised  her  up  once  more,  to  fall  back  upon 
the  corpse.  Quivering  there  a  moment,  her  muscles  all 
relaxed,  and  her  body  slid  doAvn  in  a  heap  upon  the  floor. 

"O,  merciful  Father!"  exclaimed  Lady  Levasseur, 
kneeling  in  horror. 

With  her  also  knelt  the  Major  and  Fleurette ! 

Neither  of  them  prayed  aloud ;  but  when  they  rose 
again,  a  flood  of  tears  was  streaming  from  each  of  their 
eyes! 

"  I  can  at  least  see  that  they  are  decently  buried !" 
groaned  the  Major. 
18* 


418  ALL    AT    LAST    KEVEALED. 

"Yes.  I  forgive  them  as  I  have  already  forgiven 
you  !"  replied  Lady  Levasseur. 

And,  after  that  terrible  scene,  what  else  could  there 
l>c  yet  to  find  ? 

Husband  and  wife  !  Parents  and  child  !  They  were 
all  restored,  while  other  hearts  would  beat  no  more  ! 

But  poor  Irene !  Where  was  that  rash  and  way  ward 
girl  ?  Though,  Avhile  reflecting  upon  the  circumstances 
in  which  she  was  reared,  I  am  more  inclined  to  pity  than 
to  condemn !  The  blame  rested  with  her  mother,  or 
rather  her  mother's  grandma,  who  was  an  unwise  pre- 
ceptress for  a  beautiful  girl.  The  old  creature's  love 
and  affection  might  have  been  very  deep  and  pure  for 
the  offspring  of  her  darling  grandchild ;  but  alas !  she 
thought  too  much  of  the  vanities  of  the  hour  to  instill, 
into  the  susceptible  young  heart  such  lessons  as  would 
serve  to  guide  her  happily  through  the  temptations  and 
vicissitudes  which  must  inevitably  come  ! 

And  Levasseur  did  not  become  aware  of  the  actual 
consanguinity  of  himself  and  Leonore  until  after  he  had 
put  her  and  her  grandma  in  the  grave.  He  then  dis- 
covered all  from  a  perusal  of  some  letters  which  were 
among  Madame's  hoarded  treasures.  The  terrible 
truth  staggered  his  very  reason.  But  it  was  then  too 
late  for  any  purpose  except  to  make  his  unhappiness  all 
the  more  complete;  and  he  resolved  that  the  secret 
should  remain  in  his  breast  and  go  with  him  to  oblivion 
when  that  grew  cold.  Yet,  a  short  time  before  her 
death,  Madame  had  also  learned  the  fraternal  relation- 
ship of  Leonore's  father  and  the  man  whom  she  so  dear- 
ly loved ;  and  in  her  complaints  against  Levasseur,  at 
the  office  of  Crane  &  Burr,  she  divulged  the  singular 
fact.  And  from  that  mere  chance  I  was  enabled  to  un- 
ravel the  entire  web  of  their  fate,  which  may  be  dis- 


THE  "ACCURSED"  CHILD!  419 

cussed  here  without  fear  of  wounding  the  feelings  of 
those  particularly  interested,  or  in  the  least  compro- 
mising any  one,  since  a  sharp  contest  at  law  has  already 
made  known  to  the  world  what  Levasseur  and  his  living 
wife  would  have  concealed  for  the  sake  of  Fleurette. 

Nearly  four  years  have  elapsed  since  the  flight  of 
Irene,  the  accursed  child  of  that  almost  incestuous  alli- 
ance !  And  still  her  father  does  not  find  any  one  who 
can  tell  him  where  she  is.  Possibly  she  will  never 
know  the  curse  of  her  origin,  nor  how  her  mother  be- 
came a  maniac,  nor  yet  the  manner  of  her  death.  She 
may  also  remain  ignorant  of  the  melancholy  fate  of  her 
great-grandma.  And  indeed,  even  now,  her  own  soul 
may  have  already  gone  to  join  theirs  beyond  the  grave  ! 

Major  Levasseur  is  failing  fast.  There  is  a  fixed  sor- 
row in  his  eye,  and  his  hair  is  almost  entirely  gray.  He 
tries  to  be  happy;  but  recollection  haunts  him  so  that 
there  is  very  little  pleasure  in  what  he  realizes  now.  If 
wealth  could  smooth  his  path,  he  might  pleasantly 
glide  along  to  the  end.  If  the  devotion  of  an  angel 
heart,  Avhich  is  throbbing  warmly  near  him,  could  destroy 
the  canker  eating  into  his  own,  some  earthly  hope  might 
be  left  for  him  still. 

He  perceives  that  Fleurette  is  more  affectionate  to 
him  than  Irene  ever  was.  And  then  their  wonderful 
resemblance  haunts  him.  What  a  contrast  between 
two  lovely  sisters,  so  perfectly  alike  in  all  the  external 
beauties  of  life !  And  what  a  sorrowful  reflection  for 
their  father.  Yes ;  and  far  more  painful  to  me  than  my 
readers  will  believe — for  I  once  saw  them  both  together ; 
and  could  here  relate  much  that  is  left  unsaid,  for  rea- 
sons not  necessary  to  explain  !  The  world  will  never 
know  all ! ! 

But  now,  whenever  I  meet  a  young  lady  whose  head 


420  MARRIAGE    OP    FLEURETTE. 

is  adorned  with  a  great  profusion  of  exquisite,  light 
golden  hair,  I  inquiringly  scrutinize  her  face.  I  am 
'irresistibly  and  perpetually  seeking  for  Irene.  And  I 
have  seen  very  many  tresses  of  light  golden  hair ;  but 
none  so  beautiful  as  that  of  the  prototype  daughters  of 
Major  Levasseur. 

I  often  see  Fleurette !  She  was  married  some  time 
ago ;  and  is  now  a  fond  mother  herself,  as  well  as  a 
happy  wife.  Her  husband  was  formerly  a  Navy  Cap- 
tain; and  he  did  much  good  service  at  the  bombard- 
ment of  several  of  those  strong  fortifications  defended 
by  the  rebels  during  the  war.  But  he  resigned  when 
he  saw  her. 

Their  nuptial  ceremony  was  performed  at  a  fashion- 
able church  in  New  York  City,  and  chronicled  in  some 
of  the  newspapers  the  following  day.  The  joyful  hus- 
band proposed  a  voyage  to  Europe,  a  tour  of  the  Conti- 
nent, and  a  visit  to  the  Paris  Exposition.  But  his  bride 
much  preferred  a  trip  to  St.  Paul,  where  she  might  revel 
once  more  in  the  delicious  atmosphere  of  Minnesota. 
And  never  having  been  there  to  "  see  and  feel,"  of 
course  he  reluctantly  assented  to  her  choice. 

Yet,  instead  of  going  direct  to  St.  Paul,  Fleurette 
suggested  the  Nicollet  House,  in  Minneapolis,  until  she 
could  settle  her  nerves,  as  she  said.  The  circumstances 
of  her  departure  from  St.  Paul  had  been  rather  peculiar ; 
and  she  trembled  somewhat  at  returning.  However, 
they  quietly  went  down  to  the  Summit  House  one  day. 
And  when  the  Captain  asked  permission  to  "  scratch  his 
name  on  the  register,"  Mr.  Carpenter  did  not  for  a  mo- 
ment dream  that  he  was  the  husband  of  Fleurette, 
"The  Beauty  of  St.  Paul."  But  when  he  saw  her  in 
the  parlor,  he  could  hardly  believe  his  eyes.  Of  course 
he  wanted  to  tell  everybody  "  who  had  come."  And 


FLEURETTE    AND    "  GOLIAI1  !"  421 

such  a  guest  would  have  made  the  other  landlords  in 
the  city  just  as  proud  as  he  was.  But  that  very  even- 
ing Fleurette  had  a  delightful  call.  Farmer  Denton 
drove  up  with  his  "  double  team,"  not  only  bringing  3Iiss 
Jane,  but  also  the  dog  Goliah ;  and  the  Captain  was 
amazed  to  see  the  enthusiastic  meeting  of  that  sagacious 
quadruped  and  his  lovely  bride.  The  next  day  there 
was  a  continual  coming  and  going  of  the  elite,  wrho  were 
"  ever  so  much  pleased  (or  delighted)  to  see  her,  though 
'  ma'  did  not  come  along  !"  Indeed,  some  of  them  were 
determined  that  she  and  her  husband  ("the  Naval 
Officer,"  as  Carpenter  persisted  in  calling  him)  should 
go  home  with  them  and  stay. 

"  That's  all  very  well !"  said  the  Captain  to  his  bride. 
"  But  I  never  was  fond  of  staying  to  test  the  hospitality 
of  my  friends.  We'll  return  their  calls,  and  dine,  sup, 
dance,  or  ride,  or  drive,  or  hunt,  or  fish,  or  'pic-nic' 
with  them,  and  gladly,  too.  But  I  prefer  lodging  at  a 
hotel,  or  on  shipboard,  unless  it  is  in  my  own  house." 

Fleurette  replied  that  there  were  some  ladies  in  the 
city  whose  kindness  to  her  dear  ma  and  herself  she 
could  never  forget.  And  she  must  visit  them  imme- 
diately. 

"  But  that  terrible  dog !"  said  her  husband.  "  I  can 
no  understand  why  you  should  make  such  a  time  over 
him !" 

"  Goliah  my  old  preserver, "  laughed  Fleurette. 
"He  surely  doesn't  make  you  jealous.  Remember,  I 
have  told  you  how  he  once  saved  my  life." 

"  That  may  all  be,"  persisted  the  Captain.  "  But  it 
would  have  been  quite  as  well  if  some  of  the  men  on 
board  had  done  so  in  his  stead." 

"  But  they  didn't,  though  !"  retorted  Fleurette,  with 
slight  derision.  "  And  I  shall  always  believe  that  no 


422  THE  "VAMPIRE"  FINALLY  CAUGHT. 

other  assistance  would  have  been  in  time  to  rescue  me 
from  drowning.  Those  heroically  gallant  gentlemen  who 
plunge  into  rivers  at  the  risk  of  their  own  lives  to  save 
others,  are  loss  numerous  than  you  imagine.  Goliah 
had  me  out  of  the  water  while  Dr.  Passion  was  still 
struggling  in  the  current,  and  vainly  shouting  for  help !" 

"Speak  of  the  'Old  Nick,'  and  he's  sure  to  appear!" 
observed  Mr.  Carpenter,  who  casually  entered  the  parlor 
while  the  Captain  and  Fleurette  were  in  conversation. 
"Dr.  Passion  has  just  passed  the  window.  I  believe  he 
is  coming  in.  And  here  he  is  !" 

The  Vampire  softly  glided  in,  like  a  feline  monster, 
fearful  of  making  the  least  noise.  As  he  removed  his 
hat,  the  whole  of  his  face  suddenly  dissolved  into  a 
great  confusion  of  wrinkles  and  smiles.  And  he  made 
a  short,  queer  bow,  while  smoothly  uttering,  "  Ah, 
how'de  do  ?  Ehem !"  And  his  fat  hand  carefully  ran 
through  the  greasy  black  hair  upon  his  very  round  and 
very  large  head. 

Then  Fleurette  raised  her  eyes  with  a  shiver,  and  the 
Captain  stared.  Whereupon  Mr.  Carpenter  courteously 
articulated  the  words  of  a  formal  introduction. 

"Oh,"  said  the  Vampire,  with  a  pathetic  smile  of 
sentiment  which  made  the  Captain  frown.  "  I  purposely 
came  to  congratulate  the  beauty  of  St.  Paul !  It  gives 
me  intense  pleasure  to  see  her  still  looking  so  beautiful 
and  fair !" 

Fleurette  courtesied  coldly  in  reply ;  and  motioning  to 
her  husband  that  she  wished  to  retire,  he  politely  led  her 
to  the  door,  where  she  whispered  something  in  his  ear. 

"  I  understand,"  he  murmured  in  reply.  And  then, 
turning  to  Mr.  Carpenter,  he  said:  "Now  then,  if  you 
are  ready,  sir,  we  will  go  down  into  the  city.  I  wish 
to  call  on  Bishop  Grace  and  also  see  Father  Ireland !" 


PITY    MINGLED    WITH    LOVE.  423 

"  Of  the  Catholic  religion,  I  presume  ?"  inquisitively 
quoth  the  Vampire. 

"  No,  sir ;  not  at  all.  My  visit  to  one  is  strictly  a 
matter  of  business ;  the  other  I  became  acquainted  with 
elsewhere  some  years  ago." 

And  when  they  walked  down  the  avenue  toward  the 
city,  the  Vampire  did  the  same  thing.  But  Mr.  Car- 
penter felt  sorry  for  his  cool  reception,  and  kindly 
inquired  how  long  he  intended  to  remain  in  St.  Paul. 

"  Oh,  business  is  very  dull  up  here,  now-a-days.  So 
many  quacks ;  they  disgust  all  the  invalids,  and  leave 
us  physicians  nothing  to  do."  As  the  Vampire  spoke 
thus,  Carpenter  quietly  smiled  with  a  slight  twitch  of 
his  mustache,  in  his  own  comfortable  way.  But  the 
great  man  also  said, "  I  arrived  here  last  night,  and  shall 
take  a  steamer  back  again  this  evening." 

Since  then  the  newspapers  have  published  a  startling 
case  of  criminality  in  St.  Louis  which  seriously  involved 
a  notorious  "  quack,"  whose  description  corresponds 
with  that  of  Dr.  Passion ! 

But  Fleurette's  visit  was  a  very  pleasant  one ;  and 
when  they  left,  the  Captain  acknowledged  that  he  would 
need  no  coaxing  to  return. 

Poor  Irene  has  not  been  heard  from,  since  the  hour 
when  she  fled.  Where  she  is  none  can  tell.  And  her 
father's  mind  continually  wanders  out  into  the  world 
after  the  absent  one.  He  begins  to  court  solitude,  and 
restlessly  walks  the  chamber-floor  while  his  thoughts 
are  living  over  the  past. 

Pity  mingles  with  love  in  every  look  and  action  of 
Lady  Levasseur,  when  she  sees  how  melancholy  he  is. 
And  while  her  own  eyes  seem  to  brighten  more  and 
more,  she  frequently  weeps  for  him  when  alone. 

They  travel  in  the  summer,  and  visit  pleasant  scenes ; 


424  THE  DESTROYER'S  REMORSE. 

and  yet  no  place  nor  view  lias  attraction  enough  to 
divert  his  troubled  mind.  Associations  of  what  "  has 
been,"  will  intrude  to  cast  a  pall  upon  the  surface  of 
every  glad  picture  that  meets  his  gaze. 

But  when  at  home,  he  frequently  steals  off  to  Green- 
wood Cemetery.  And  he  goes  there  alone.  He  gen- 
erally chooses  a  stormy  day,  when  no  other  visitors  are 
likely  to  be  there.  And  lest  his  wife  might  know  of 
his  going,  he  even  does  not  ride  down  in  his  own  car- 
riage. The  coachman  would  talk  about  it,  if  he  did. 
Therefore  he  hires  a  livery  coach  to  convey  him,  and 
takes  a  different  one  each  time.  The  gate-keeper  has 
become  accustomed  to  his  eccentricity  of  a  stormy  day, 
and  invariably  salutes  him  with  a  nod  and  a  smile. 
And  while  the  shivering  coach-horses  and  driver  wait 
for  him,  all  wet  with  rain,  at  a  particular  crossing  of 
the  avenues  in  the  city  of  the  dead,  he  wanders  away 
among  the  tombstones  and  monuments,  with  a  huge 
umbrella  hoisted  over  him  to  effectually  hide  his  face 
from  the  scrutiny  of  other  visitors,  if  any  should  chance 
to  pass  ever  so  near. 

A  strange  fancy,  to  steal  away  in  a  great  cemetery  on 
a  stormy  day  and  stroll  among  the  sober  white  columns 
and  the  elaborately  chiseled  obelisks,  which  are  more 
spectral  than  otherwise  to  an  imaginatively  superstitious 
mind.  To  meditate  there  alone  beneath  an  immense 
umbrella,  while  the  pouring  rain  patters  down  upon  the 
marble  slabs,  and  floods  the  bending  grass,  and  washes 
the  graveled  walks  so  clean. 

A  sad  enjoyment  for  one  like  Major  Levasseur !  The 
world  would  say  it  was.  But  the  world  does  not  know 
what  is  passing  in  his  unhappy  mind.  The  world  does 
not  see  him  wandering  or  standing  in  silent  contempla- 
tion of  the  memorials  sculptured  by  the  living  for  the 


NO\V,    AND    FOUEVEUMOKE  !  425 

loved  who  are  lost  in  eternal  decay.  Yet,  he  knows  and 
he  feels  what  the  world  cares  nothing  about. 

And  God  is  watching  him  there  all  the  time,  when  he 
imagines  himself  entirely  alone.  Yes;  and  God  and 
his  soul  go  down  there  together  with  him,  to  commune 
in  that  retired  spot  upon  the  steep  hill-side  facing  the 
water  of  New  York  Bay — there,  not  far  from  the  old 
vault  near  the  weeping  willow  tree — there,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  that  grand  floral  design,  carved  upon  a  colossal 
monument  of  polished  marble — there,  at  the  foot  of  a 
plainer,  and  seemingly  sadder,  memoria  technica  of  white 
stone,  upon  which  he  can  read  the  simple  words  of 
"  Zorah  and  Leonore  /" 

And  near  that  spot  there  is  now  an  empty  tomb,  en- 
tirely new,  in  which  a  living  victim  of  bitter  remorse  has 
willed  that  his  own  body  shall  be  laid  when  he  dies. 
There  is  abundant  space  in  that  new  empty  tomb  for 
others  beside  himself.  So  that,  perhaps,  in  time  to 
come,  those  who  live  may  also  read  another  inscription 
on  marble  there,  in  which  the  names  of  Levasseur  and 
his  more  than  faithful  wife  shall  both  appear ! 

Then,  perhaps,  by  and  by,  the  dust  of  the  lovely 
orphan  victim  and  her  avenging  grandma  will  mingle 
in  the  earth  together  with  that  of  the  beautiful  "  angel 
heart"  and  her  destroying  husband,  while  their  souls 
have  gone  to  meet  the  great  Judgment  which  is  FOR- 

EVERMORE ! 

I  now  pause  in  a  sad  reverie,  and  mournfully  wonder 
if  Irene  will  ever  visit  Greenwood,  and  there,  on  the  hill- 
side beneath  the  weeping  willow,  shed  tears  over  the 
spot  where  her  devoted  grandma  and  her  misguided 
mother  both  lie  in  the  same  grave  ? 


The  "  Silver  Cascade,"  between  Minneapolis  and  St.  PaoL 


THE  MUTUAL 
Life   Insurance   Company, 

OF  NEW  YORK. 
F.    S.    WINSTON,    PRESIDENT, 

Furnishes  Insurance  combining  the  Advantages  offered  by  all 
other  Companies,  with  unequaled  Financial  Security. 


ASSETS   OVER   $28,000,000   IN   CASH. 


RICHARD  A.  McCURDY,  Vice-President. 

JOHN  M.  STUART,  Secretary. 

F.  SCHROEDER,  Ass't  Secretary. 

SHEPPARD  HOMANS,  Acturary. 

LEWIS  C.  LAWTON,  Ass't  Actuary. 


TKEMONT  HOUSE, 

COR.    LAKE    AND    DEARBORN    STS. 

CHICAGO,    ILL. 


REBUILT,     REMODELED, 

Handsomely  and  Richly  Refurnished  in  1867  and  1868. 
Has  had  all  the  Modern  Improvements  introduced,  includ- 
ing one  of 

Atwood's  Vertical  Railway  Elevators, 

for  conveying  guests  to  the  different  floors. 

SUITS  OF  ROOMS,  BATHS  AND  WATER-CLOSETS 
CONNECTED. 

One  of  the  largest  and  best  appointed  Hotels  in  the  West. 


»       W.  W.  FELT.,  Late  of  Lindell  Hotel. 
SAM'L  M.  TURNER. 


JNO.  B.  DEAKE,  Proprietor. 

f 


SHERMAN  HOUSE, 


CHICAGO,    ILL. 


This  palatial  edifice  was  first  opened  to  the  public  in  July, 
1861,  and  having  been  enlarged  and  refitted  in  1867,  is  now 

THE  LARGEST  HOTEL  IN  CHICAGO 

and  one  of  the  finest  in  the  United  States.     It  has  all  the 

MODERN    IMPROVEMENTS 

including  a  Passenger  Elevator, 

GAGE  BROTHERS  &  WALTERS, 

Proprietors. 


WESTWARD  BOUND. 

CENTRAL  RAILROAD  OF  NEW  JERSEY. 


ALLENTOWN    LINE 

IS    THE 

Shortest  Route  between  New  York  and  the  West  ' 


THEEE  DAILY  EXPEESS  TRAINS. 

Passengers  by  this  route  save  60  to  130  miles  and  three  hours'  time 
over  other  lines,  WITHOUT  CHANGE  of  cars  to  Chicago  or  Cin- 
cinnati, and  but  one  to  St.  Louis. 

FAST  LINE  at  9  A.  M.  (Sunday  excepted),  with  elegant  passenger 
coaches  to  Pittsburg,  and 

SILVER  PALACE  CARS  TO  CHICAGO. 

CINCINNATI  EXPRESS  at  5.00  P.  M.  (Sunday  excepted),  with 
splendid  sleeping  and  day  cars  through  to  Pittsburg,  arriving  at  Chi- 
cago, Cincinnati,  and  all  other  competing  points,  six  hours  in  advance 
of  other  routes. 

WESTERN  EXPRESS  at  8.00  P.  M.  (daily),  with  sleeping  and  day 
cars  through  to  Pittsburg,  saving  three  hours1  time  over  other  routes 
West. 

SILVER  PALACES  leave  at  8.00  P.  M.  Saturday  evening,  and  ar- 
rive at  Chicago  early  Monday  morning,  without  change,  twelve  hours 
in  advance  of  other  routes. 

|3P  This  is  the  only  route  on  which  Palace  Sleeping  Cars  are  run 
between  New  York  and  Chicago  without  change. 


PRINCIPAL    OFFICE  IN  NEW  YORK,  AT 

254    BROADWAY. 

Tickets  can  also  be  had  at  271  and  526  Broadway,  No.  I  Astor  House,  10 

Greenwich  street,  and  at  the  principal  Hotels. 
Depot  of  the  Central  R.  R.  of  N.  J.,  at  the  foot  of  Liberty  street. 

H.  P.  BALDWIN,  Gen.  Pass.  Agent. 


THE   PHILADELPHIA  ROUTE 

FROM  NEW  YORK  CITY 

TO    ALL    POINTS   WEST, 
BY   THE   NEW   JEKSEY  AND 

Camden  and  Amboy 

KALLWAYS, 


"MANTUA    JUNCTION," 

THE 

PENNSYLVANIA  CENTRAL 

AND 

PITTSBURG,  FORT  WAYNE  AND  CHICAGO  RAILWAYS. 


THREE   EXPRESS  TRAINS 

Leave  foot  01  Courtlandt  street,  New  York  City,  daily,  except  Sundays, 
with  through  cars  via  "Mantua  Junction,"  to  Pittsburg,  where  sure 
connections  are  made  beyond. 


ALSO  A 
SUNDAY  NIGHT  EXPRESS  TRAIN. 


FAMILY  COMPARTMENT  DAY  AND  SLEEPING  CARS. 

THKOUGH  FKOM  NEW  YORK  TO  CHICAGO  WITHOUT  CHANGE. 


"SILVER  PALACE"  CARS  ON  NIGHT  TRAINS. 


Through  Tickets  and  Sleeping  Car  Berths  for  sale  in  New  York 
at  No.  1  Astor  House,  Depot  foot  of  Courtlandt  street,  No.  8  Battery  place, 
271  and  526  Broadway,  and  at  the  Principal  Hotels. 


NEW    YORK    TO    CHICAGO 

WITHOUT  CHANGE  OP  CARS. 


Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne 

AND 

CHICAGO  RAILWAY, 

AND 

PENNSYLVANIA  CENTRAL  RAILROAD, 

Yia  Allentown,  or  Philadelphia, 


SILVER  PALACE  AND  FAMILY  COMPARTMENT  CARS, 

Pronounced  by  all  to  be  the  most  luxurious  and  comfort- 
able coaches  in  America,  run  THROUGH  between  New  York  and 
Chicago  WITHOUT  CHANGE. 


advantages  of  this  Line  over  all  others  in  STATE- 
ROOM SLEEPING  CARS,  SAVING  IN  TIME  AND  DISTANCE  and  so 
FEW  CHANGES  OP  CARS,  combine  to  render  this  the  most  pleas- 
ant and  desirable  route,  especially  to  families  or  ladies  travel- 
ing alone,  placing  it  beyond  competition  as  a  THROUGH 
ROUTE  between  the  Seaboard  and  all  Western  Cities. 


THKEE  EXPRESS  TRAINS  DAILY. 


Tickets  and  reliable   information  can  be  obtained  at  the 
Company's  Principal  Offices  t 

271  Broadway,  cor.  Chambers  St..  Neio  York, 
and  No.  65  Clark  /Sfc,  Chicago  III 

F.  KNOWLAND,  Gen'l  Eastern  Passenger  Agt 


A     000  039  448     6 


